Statement by the 19th Congress of the YABLOKO party, 11.07.2016

Summing up the results of the work of the State Duma of the sixth convocation, the Russian United Democratic YABLOKO party states the negative influence which the deputies made on the public, political and economic life of the country.

The State Duma of the sixth convocation was the most incompetent, aggressive and ignorant in the history of Russian parliamentarism. There was no opposition, the faction voted indistinctly from each other, supporting the policy of Russia’s isolation from the civilized world, adopting inhuman and humiliating laws, introducing punitive measures and exactions from the citizens.

The constant degradation of the Parliament as an institute has taken place within the past years. The State Duma gained the reputation of “the mad printer” which mechanically produces the most odious initiatives.

The bills were developed without participation of the expert community, they were passed without proper debate and within a very short term, neglecting democratic and regulatory procedures, consequently, the bills came out considerably undeveloped, with vague and unclear wording creating conditions for arbitrary rule, abuse of power or even unenforceable in practice. As a result, the distinction between politics and extremism, between entrepreneurship and fraud, between public activities and work for a foreign country, between artistic freedom and blasphemy were actually erased.

[The deputies] have to specify, add and elaborate the new bills endlessly. This way, for example, the new version of the law “On the election of the State Duma deputies”, which was adopted in 2014, has been amended 8 times within a year and a half. The vast majority of the discussed draft laws (85 per cent) are the amendments to the existing legislation. Half of the laws passed by the Duma are of repressive or restrictive character.

The differences between the factions are becoming less important. The initiators of the repressive laws come from all the parties represented in the Parliament.

The MPs opened Pandora’s box when they adopted the “Dima Yakovlev” law, which deprived thousands of Russian orphans of their future, in response to the Magnitsky Act.

The State Duma unanimously supported Vladimir Putin’s anti-European and conservative course, cynically manipulating public consciousness and presenting the citizens’ attempts to resist [such policy] as intrigues of the “fifth column” (a group that undermines a nation/army/structure from within). Since the beginning of the foreign policy adventures in the east of Ukraine this rhetoric has increased substantially and was enshrined in official state acts.

The rights and freedoms of the citizens were constantly limited. The sensational law “On insulting religious believers’ feelings” restricted the ability of people to express their opinions freely. Amendments to the law on rallies led to the fact that the people who just participated in one-person pickets or legal mass actions were imprisoned. The attack on the freedom of speech increased: the share of foreign participation in the Russian media was limited, and Internet censorship was virtually introduced. Intelligence agencies received access to the personal correspondence of citizens, “likes” in social networks can be qualified as “extremisn”.

The past give years have become disastrous for NPOs. The laws concerning non-profit organizations put hundreds of Russian organizations involved in environmental, human rights, education and charitable activities on the edge of survival.

The ongoing “optimization” of the social sphere lead to mass closing of schools, libraries, hospitals and clinics in many built-up areas of the country. The number of informal and targeted requisitions from citizens and businesses is growing.

Today the State Duma demonstrated its complete failure, undermined Russia’s position in the world, the legitimacy and reputation of the Russian Parliament. Each deputy of the sixth convocation, with few exceptions, carries the responsibility for this.

Only the people of Russia can change this situation by coming to the polling stations and voting for the alternative represented by the YABLOKO party. Only then the real Parliament will appear in the country. The Parliament which will tell the truth about the situation in the country, the actions of the government and its individual representatives. The Parliament which is a place for discussion and coordination of interests, the voice of the society and the controller of the executive power. The Parliament which sets the standards of the new political culture – without violence and cynicism, lies and theft.

Emilia Slabunova
YABLOKO Chair