Press Release, 27.08.2023

Photo: Yaroslav Shcherbakov, Chair of the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko (right), and members of the referendum initiative group at the campaign cube / Photo by the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko

On 26 August, the Chelyabinsk Regional Court declared unlawful the actions of the Chelyabinsk Mayor’s Office to refuse Yabloko in holding a series of pickets “For the Return of the Mayoral Elections” from 25 August to 4 September. On the same day, the Chelyabinsk Yabloko and civil activists installed a campaign cube on the main street of the city, but the police illegally demanded to dismantle it. The actions of the police will be challenged in court.

A series of pickets is planned as part of the referendum on the return of direct elections for the head of Chelyabinsk. The direct elections were abolished in May 2010, since that the head of the city has been appointed by the City Duma. The initiative group for the referendum is headed by the Chairman of the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko Yaroslav Shcherbakov.

The notice of the pickets was timely submitted to the city administration. However, the Mayor’s Office refused to allow the applicants to hold the actions, referring to the fact that the activists allegedly incorrectly indicated the form of the event. According to the officials, it should have been written “picketing”, rather than a “picket” in the application. The Sovetsky District Court, to which the applicants applied, did not see any violations in the refusal of the administration. Then the civil activists had to file an appeal with the regional court. The Judicial Board declared the ban on holding pickets illegal, pointing the Chelyabinsk Mayor’s Office to the definition of the word “picket” in the most popular Ozhegov’s definition dictionary.

On the same day, 26 August, the referendum initiative group came out with the first picket in Kirovka Street. The residents of the city spoke positively about the initiative to return direct election of the head of Chelyabinsk, where all the residents could make their choice. At the end of the action, police officers approached the cube and demanded to stop the action and move to the so-called “Hyde Park”, a specially designated place where pickets can be held without prior notifications. The picketers dismantled the cube, but they intend to continue the actions on the days they scheduled, and will also challenge the police orders in court.

It should be noted that not only the administration of Chelyabinsk, but also the regional Legislative Assembly is counteracting the initiative to hold a referendum on the return of direct mayoral elections. Thus, by means of an absentee poll, without holding a meeting, the majority of the deputies of the Legislative Assembly decided that the questions submitted for a referendum on the return of direct elections of heads of cities and districts in the Chelyabinsk region and direct elections of deputies of the Chelyabinsk City Duma contradict the current legislation. The referendum initiative group is preparing a collective lawsuit against this.

The Chelyabinsk Yabloko also announced raising funds among Russian citizens to organise the work of the electoral headquarters of the referendum for the return of direct election.

YAROSLAV SHCHERBAKOV

is Chairman of the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko