Press Release, 17.09.2014

The Regional Council of the Moscow branch of YABLOKO considered the elections of September 14, 2014, illegitimate. The elections to the Moscow City Duma weren’t democratic, fair and transparent. However, the Regional Council considered that YABLOKO gained a good result.

All this runs in the statement which was adopted at the Regional Council meeting.

According to the Regional Council members, the Duma that was elected gives evidence that the newly-elected deputies are loyal to the policy carried by the state authorities: only those who represent the authorities and those who try to become national patriots even more were elected to Moscow City Duma.

The Regional Council notes that the authorizes were ready for election fraud. YABLOKO election observers found instructions on election fraud for heads of elections commissions at several election polls and the website “GAS Vobory” worked in a strange way: apart from the previous elections the results were published with several hours delay.

YABLOKO candidates were the only ones who represented the opposition point of view: against the annexation of Crimea and war with Ukraine, against isolation and nationalism and for the European way of development. Not only YABLOKO members but representatives of other parties and civil activists were on the party candidates list.

“Not only the authorities but its opponents from non-system opposition worked for lowering the voters participation by calling not to vote in those election districts where there were no dignified candidates in their opinion. We are grateful to RPR-PARNAS for the support of our candidates despite the important differences in our political stances”, runs in the statement.

Despite the change of the election system from proportional to majority, low voters participation and limited resources YABLOKO managed to gain 12,5 percent on the average. The Regional Council considered the result good.

The Regional Council came to the conclusion that a large part of active Muscovites supports YABLOKO and disapproves of the political course chosen by the authorities.

The Regional Council is thankful to all the voters who supported YABLOKO, the candidates themselves and workers of the campaign office.

The Regional Council decided to appeal to the Constitutional Court against the mojority election system to the Moscow City Duma sicne it violates the constitutional equality of the regions of Russia where the mixed system is introduced.