Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Radio Finam, May
12, 2010
The winner of the anti-award will be determined by Internet voting
Press Release, 24.12.2019
Yabloko’s Anti-Corruption Policy Centre has identified nominees for the annual anti-award for “wasting the budget” via public procurement contracts. The list of nominees of 2019 includes the Minister of Culture of Russia Vladimir Medinsky for bidding on behalf of the Ministry of Culture for a contract for provision of services and organisation of screening of the documentary “I ought my millions to their work…” in Switzerland, as well as Public Prosecutor General Yury Chaika for purchasing golf cars for 3 million roubles for the Public Prosecutor General’s Office.
The Volgograd branch of Yabloko demanded that the Volgograd Mayor’s Office and the Public Prosecutor’s Office check whether the Communist Party had the right to install a bust of Joseph Stalin in Volgograd. Yabloko’s Dmitry Lyubitenko posted a petition on the Internet demanding that the monument be dismantled.
The Moskovsky District Court of St.Petersburg upheld the lawsuit from Yabloko candidates demanding cancellation of the results of the recount of votes at polling station No 1290 of the MosKovskaya Zastava municipality, which resulted in two mandates being stolen from Yabloko.
After the decision comes into force, Yabloko members Kirill Kasimov and Dmitry Dekhambayev will receive the mandates in this municipality (they were the plaintiffs in the case). Alexander Shatyrkin, representative of the ruling United Russia party, and self-nominated Pavel Tripolka will lose their mandates.
According to the plaintiffs, the recount of votes redistributed the votes exactly in favour of Shatyrkin and Tripolka. The defendants have the right to appeal the decision of the district court to a court of a higher instance.
Tomorrow the Commission of the Moscow City Duma on Urban Economy and Housing Policies will consider the bill of deputy Sergei Mitrokhin on amendments to the law “On provision of urban amenities in Moscow”.
The amendments oblige the Moscow government to coordinate with Muscovites improvement projects for courtyards, streets and squares.
Statement by the Yabloko faction in the Moscow City Duma, 16.12.2019
The Commission on the organisation of the work of the Moscow City Duma rejected the question of the Yabloko faction to the Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
Daria Besedina, Yabloko MP of the Moscow City Duma, was going to ask the Moscow Mayor if he felt responsible for the fate of those who were being prosecuted for participating in protests this summer. Also it should be noted that a search was conducted in the apartment of Besedina then.
Grigory Yavlinsky, Chairman of the Yabloko Federal Political Committee, made a political report at the 21st Party Congress (full transcript in Russian is here). The report dealt with Russia’s domestic and foreign policies, the situation in Russian economy, as well as the challenges that Yabloko faces today.
Chairman of the Yabloko Party spoke about his plans on a new post during a press briefing
Press Release, 15.12.2019
Photo: Nikolai Rybakov
For the first time Nikolai Rybakov answered questions from journalists as Chairman of the Yabloko party. At a briefing that began on the second day of the Yabloko congress, Rybakov said that the party’s main task would be to prepare for the State Duma elections in 2021, this work would begin immediately after the congress.
Nikolai Rybakov became the fourth Chairman of the Yabloko party: 69 delegates of the 21st Yabloko Congress cast their votes for his candidacy. Lev Shlosberg, head of the Pskov branch of the party Lev Shlosberg came second (40 votes), Emilia Slabunova was the third (19 votes).
“Over the past four years, Yabloko has been able to strengthen its position,” said Yabloko Chair Emilia Slabunova, presenting a report on the party’s activities at the 21st Yabloko congress.
“This is the stance of the country’s key organised democratic force, openly criticising the government, demanding a change in the Russian leadership, a change in the political course. Certainly, we did not solve all the problems, but we achieved significant results,” she noted.
Deputies of the Ryazan branch of the Yabloko party oppose the draft budgets of their municipalities. Konstantin Smirnov, deputy of the Dubrovsky rural settlement, has already voted against the budget of the settlement, all other deputies of the Council representing United Russia supported the draft. Anatoly Kivva, deputy of the Zaboryevsky rural settlement, intends to vote against the draft budget when the document is considered.
On 12 December, the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko went on one-person pickets (that do not require a permission from the authorities) in four cities of the region as part of the Struggle for Human Rights campaign, dedicated to the Russian Constitution Day.
On 7 December, a flash mob in support of political prisoners, the defendants of the so-called “Rostov case” – Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov – took place in Rostov-on-Don. Activists of the Yabloko party, together with other democratic forces of the city, organised the action in the format of a theatrical performance.
A number of recent events have radically changed the self-awareness of millions of people all over the world, primarily in the most economically developed parts, which had been objectively until now at the forefront of development in the world and defined to a large extent the image of world order.
In particular, this concerns the rise of anti-globalist and traditional feelings in developed countries, something which came as a shock to many people and determined significantly the results of the referendum in Great Britain to leave the European Union and the presidential elections in the USA. This rise was attributable to a general change in the worldwide perception of globalisation from feelings of great hope and optimism to a prevalence of anxiety, concern and a vast range of fears.
This also due to objective changes in the nature of globalisation, which has in actual fact acquired a more chaotic, less controllable, and in many cases overtly disorganised character, when flows of people, capital, and technologies arising spontaneously prevent national governments from asserting control over the state of employment, income, prevailing expectations and moods in extremely broad social strata.
In Sochi, activists, supporters and members of the Yabloko party held a picket in support of Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov, political prisoners in the Rostov case. The picket was held as part of the All-Russian campaign “Against Political Reprisals”.
This weekend, December 14-15, the 21st congress of the Yabloko party will be held in Moscow. Yabloko Chairperson, Deputy Chairperons, members of the Federal Political Committee and the Bureau will be elected at the Congress.
The Congress will open on December 14 at 10 a.m. In the first half of the day, political reports and reports on the work done by the party over the four year period will be made by Yabloko Chair Emilia Slabunova and Grigory Yavlinsky, Chairman of the Federal Political Committee of the party, the reports will be followed by a discussion.
Today, Yabloko party Chair Emilia Slabunova criticised the law on protecting investments and encouraging investment at a meeting of the State Duma. The Russian parliament was examining the bill in the first reading.
“It is impossible to improve the investment climate without improving the political climate, without a radical transformation of the judicial system and all the law enforcement,” Slabunova said.
On December 10, the Bashkirian branch of Yabloko held a series of on-person pickets (that do not require coordination with the authorities) in defense of human rights.
On 10 December, ex-Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov died aged 83. The condolences to the family of the deceased were expressed by Grigory Yavlinsky, Chairman of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko, who worked with Luzhkov in the Committee for the Operational Management of the National Economy of the USSR which exercised the functions of the Russian Government after its dismissal on 28 August of 1991, after a failed coup:
Yuri Luzhkov was a bright and interesting person of a bygone era, a political and public figure of the transition period. He himself, his life and work, reflected all the features and contradictions of that time.
Briefly about the Normandy Four meeting: it is well, that it has taken place. Now, until December 31, an exchange of prisoners will be possible – “all for all”.
As for the rest… Vladimir Zelensky said that the principles on which he was building his policy were the three impossibilities:
– federalisation of Ukraine;
– the influence of other forces on its policies;
– compromises to resolve the conflict through the cession of the territory.
The Altai branch of Yabloko went on one-person pickets (that do not require coordination with the authorities) on Human Rights Day demanding from the authorities to respect the Russian Constitution and release political prisoners.
