Press Release, 6.04.2021

Photo: Grigory Yavlinsky / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

The key points

On 3-4 April, Yabloko held a new stage of the 21st Congress, which was attended by almost 120 delegates from several dozens of regions. The main topic of the Congress was the reform of Yabloko and the release of political prisoners. Grigory Yavlinsky was one of the first to speak from the rostrum of the Congress. He explained the meaning of the party reform: it should be targeted at preservation of the core of the democratic opposition in Russia under the conditions of an authoritarian mafia regime.

This task became especially urgent after the “anti-constitutional coup” – adoption of Vladimir Putin’s amendments to the Russian Constitution on a plebiscite that took place on 1 July, 2020. Now the Basic Law enshrines the irreplaceable power of Vladimir Putin, as well as the foundations of a “corporate, mafia, authoritarian state with a chauvinist ideology”. Despite the scale of this event, it remained outside the scope of public discussion, Yavlinsky noted.

Morality in politics and humanistic values will remain the imperative for Yabloko. “Our model is a party of values ​​that has its own vision of the present and the future, and not just protesting against certain actions of officials,” Yavlinsky explained. The full transcript and video of his speech can be found here.

Photo: Nikolai Rybakov / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov spoke about hundreds of political prisoners who are under trial or have already been imprisoned. Our personal responsibility is to demand the release of these people at any opportunity, Rybakov stressed.

The head of Yabloko spoke about the achievements of Yabloko in the difficult 2020, when, in addition to the amendments to the Constitution, Russian experienced the coronavirus pandemic. Rybakov said that due to active work of Yabloko members, the rating of the party grew for the first time in many years. Rybakov urged Yabloko members to adopt the decisions on the reform of the party, as it should help create a strong, honest, and respectful competition in Yabloko and guarantee the change of power in the party.

Ivan Bolshakov, Deputy Chairman of Yabloko, explained the need of reforming the party by global changes in the work of parties, that are moving from large and vertically integrated structures to compact and small, but “mobile” organisations. His colleague Boris Vishnevsky, recalling his mountaineering past, said that he wanted to see in the ranks of Yabloko members like mountaineers who are climbing mountains tied together.

Photo: Ivan Bolshakov. / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

The congress was opened by the report of Lev Shlosberg, leader of the Pskov branch of Yabloko and member of the Political Committee of the party. His speech was devoted to the external and internal threats the party had to face.

After speeches both for and against the amendments, a vote took place: more than two-thirds of the congress delegates supported the package of key proposals for reforming the party. The key amendments made to the Yabloko By-Laws are as follows: mandatory primaries for the election of the party Chairperson, introduction of a probationary period of one year for admission to the party, and loosening of requirements for the creation of intra-party factions.

The second day of the Congress was devoted to the upcoming elections to the State Duma. Talking about the coalition policy of Yabloko, Nikolai Rybakov stressed that the party would not cooperate with politicians and organisations that oppose Yabloko it in the elections and adhere to a radical ideology: “We consider any alliances with Stalinists, nationalists, fascists, racists, imperialists, militarists, xenophobes, and other left-wing and right-wing radicals,” Rybakov said. And certainly Yabloko will not cooperate with parliamentary parties, that are all Vladimir Putin’s parties.

Ivan Bolshakov, Deputy Chairman of Yabloko, noted that the upcoming parliamentary election campaign would be very different from the 2016 parliamentary elections. Then elections took place in the conditions of the “Crimean consensus” in the Russian society. Now this consensus ended, and people’s discontent with the Kremlin’s social policy grew significantly.

According to Bolshakov, in the elections Yabloko will give priority to the campaigning on the party lists of candidates, but the party was ready to nominate in the constituencies Yabloko partners from other democratic organisations, democratic politicians, human rights activists, and civil activists.

Photo: Igor Artemyev, ex head of the Federal Monopoly Service of Russia. / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Igor Artemyev, a member of the Yabloko Political Committee and the ex head of the Federal Monopoly Service of Russia, also spoke at the Congress. He stated that the economic and political power in Russia was seized by oligarchic groups. Artemyev stressed that Yabloko was the only party in Russia not included into the oligarchic system, and the only party able to formulate and implement professional economic reforms in the interests of society and small business – the task that would arise with the inevitable change of power.

Grigory Grishin, head of the election headquarters of the party, announced in his speech a large-scale pre-campaign for Yabloko, which will take place both offline and online. Grishin noted that one the keys to the success of Yabloko in the elections should be organisation of observation over voting.

On 4 April, the second stage of the 21st Yabloko Congress ended, but it was not closed, as in the summer, before the start of the election campaign, the third stage will be held, which will be dedicated to the approval of electoral lists, strategy and tactics at the elections. Another stage will take place in the fall, after the elections.

Yabloko statement

On the growing danger of a new war with the participation of Russia

Statement by the 21st Congress of Yabloko

Videos

The first day of the Congress (Part 1  https://youtu.be/ICXTw3BWdU0 and 2 https://youtu.be/dltRK7ROdRg  )

The second day of the Congress https://youtu.be/gJNh88X8yQg

Grigory Yavlinsky: “The opposition should force the authorities to dialogue”. Speech by Grigory Yavlinsky, Chairman of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko, on the first day of the Congress. https://youtu.be/NimHIss1Up8

“There can be no free politics in the country, when people are imprisoned for their views”. Speech by Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov on the first day of the Congress.  https://youtu.be/Lz2TESHCk68

“It is time for us to put things in order in our own house”. Speech by Ivan Bolshakov, Deputy Chairman of Yabloko, on the first day of the Congress. https://youtu.be/s__egv0jYg0

Yabloko head Nikolai Rybakov on Yabloko’s coalition policy (the second day of the Congress). https://youtu.be/Dsw1xrusJaw

“We are a party of the middle class and small business”. Speech by Igor Artemyev, a member of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko and former head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (the second day of the Congress). https://youtu.be/UVsB-SFh0bQ

Grigory Yavlinsky about why the slogan “Freedom for political prisoners” should be the main slognan for Yabloko. https://youtu.be/1aSe2IngJ38

Photos:

The first day of the Congress https://www.yabloko.ru/node/43003

The second day of the Congress https://www.yabloko.ru/node/43004