YABLOKO parliamentary candidate visited the cities of Siberia
Press release, 25.08.2016

On August 23-24, YABLOKO parliamentary candidate Vladimir Ryzhkov visited Tomsk and Novosibirsk as part of the election campaign. Ryzhkov had a meeting with party supporters, held two press conferences and participated in radio and television programmes.

The politician began his working visit with recording an interview on the Ekho Moskvi in Tomsk radio station. He explained why he was running in the election as a YABLOKO candidate.

“The party had no corruption scandals over all the 25 years of its existence. It conveys a great deal to me,” Ryzhkov said.

“Voting for YABLOKO is the right thing to do for me, my family, for Tomsk and Barnaul. If 25-30 professionals from YABLOKO enter the parliament, the regime will change,” the politician said.

He also said that Ella Pamfilova, the new head of the Central Election Commission, is intended to make a stand for fair elections.

Ryzhkov touched on the topic of the presidential election of 2018. “This [parliamentary] election is not just an issue of forming a faction. In 2018 we need a single [presidential] candidate from democrats who will have supporters in the State Duma,” Ryzhkov noted.

Vladimir Ryzhkov gave special consideration to the economic agenda at a press conference dedicated to the regional elections. He stated the following figures: 4.5 trillion roubles is spent on defense, the same sum is spent on education and health care together.

Ryzhkov called the distribution of income between the regions and the centre an absurd. This way, Siberia gives 52 per cent of the budget income but the poorest regions are situated on its territory. The politician said that YABLOKO had designed a bill on the cutting of budget receipts for the centre from 65 to 50 per cent.

The politician characterized the wage rate of MPs as “bribery of deputies on the part of the executive power”. Ryzhkov promised to enforce a law to cut the wage rate of State Duma deputies. If the initiative is not adopted, he promises to transfer half of his wage to a charity fund to support his voters.

Vldimir Ryzhkov also participated in a programme on Rossiya 24 TV channel.

On 24 August, Vladimir Ryzhkov visited Novosibirsk. He held a press conference together with Alexandra Nalobina, Chair of the Novosibirsk branch of YABLOKO.

“The poverty of Siberia is the result of purposeful activities of the federal government. The main problem is the lack of financing,” YABLOKO canddiate said.

As an example, the politician stated the government allowances for the regions: there is 55 thousand roubles for a resident of Crimea per year and 10 thousand roubles for a resident of the Altai Territory per year.

Commenting on today’s composition of the State Duma, Ryzhkov emphasized the likemindedness of economic views of parliamentary parties: state controlled market, increase in public sector which already makes 55 per cent. Moreover, all four parliamentary parties make the same decisions concerning the key issues.

Vladimir Ryzhkov said that the prospect of YABLOKO’s receiving 10 per cent of votes in Siberia looked real but one must “make an effort”.

Ryzhkov also visited YABLOKO’s election headquaters, situated in a rock club. The owners of the club gave the premises to YABLOKO in acknowledgement of the fact that the party made a stand for freedom of art.

Later Vladimir Ryzhkov held a meeting with YABLOKO supporters in a book store. Speaking of John Locke’s conception of inalienable rights, Vladimir Ryzhkov explained that the Constitution of the Russian Federation as well as the Constitutions of other countries was based on that conception. He stressed that a large number of laws, which were adopted by the Russian Parliament over the past 5 years, contradict that conception. He stated the so called Dima Yakovlev Law, which barred American citizens from adopting Russian orphans, as an example.

Previously the politician visited Volgograd as part of the election campaign.