Press Release, 24.08.2021

Photo: Valentina Komkova and Yaroslav Shcherbakov / Photo by the Press Service of the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko

The Chelyabinsk Regional Court overturned the decision of the Zlatoust Electoral Commission on refusing registration in the elections to Valentina Komkova, a Yabloko candidate in the State Duma elections, who had to run in the Zlatoust single-mandate constituency. The District Electoral Commission will have to reconsider its decision and register Komkova in the elections.

Valentina Komkova was denied registration because she had allegedly failed to submit a full package of required documents in due time. The candidate challenged the refusal of the Zlatoust Electoral Commission in the court of the city of Miass (at her place of residence). The Miass Court upheld the decision of the electoral commission, then Komkova appealed to the court of higher instance – the Chelyabinsk Regional Court.

“Certainly, it was a politically motivated refusal, which they did not even try to cover up: the candidate miraculously passed the documents to the commission, then by the same miracle these documents were found in the commission. The public prosecutor and the regional court confirmed gross violations on the part of the electoral commission of the city of Zlatoust, which, instead of performing its functions, making elections competitive and helping citizens exercise their electoral rights, tried to remove our candidate under any pretext. Soon Valentina Komkova will be registered, and we hope for her victory,” Yaroslav Shcherbakov, Chairman of the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko, said commenting on the decision of the court.

The Electoral Commission of Zlatoust was represented in court by a member of the regional electoral commission, who, according to the Yabloko activists, did not understand the whole situation, but tried to defend the unlawful actions of the lower electoral commission.

Valentina Komkova was also not admitted to the by-election to the Assembly of Deputies of the City of Miass. This refusal has been still contested in the courts.