Press Release, 16.12.2015

On December 19-20, the 18th Congress of the YABLOKO party will be held, 164 delegates from 77 regional branches and steering bodies of the party will elect new party leaders: party Chairperson, members of the Bureau, Political Committee, Internal Audit Commission and Arbitration Committee.

The Political Committee will propose an amendment to the party Charter limiting the period of chairmanship by two terms (maximum eight years). If the amendment is adopted, neither the present leader Sergei Mitrokhin, nor YABLOKO founder Grigory Yavlinsky will have a possibility to run.

Sergei Mitrokhin disapproves of the proposed amendment and is determined to run for the post of party Chairman.

Personal pages for all the candidates have been created on the party website www.yabloko.ru: those recommended by the Political Committee and nominated by the regional conferences. At the moment there are eight candidates but during the Congress any delegate can nominate his/her candidate.

The eight candidates are:

Alexander Gnezdilov, YABLOKO Bureau member, Moscow

Sergei Mitrokhin, Chairman-in-Office, Member of YABLOKO Political Committee, Moscow

Sergei Ivanenko, Member of YABLOKO Political Committee, Moscow

Nikolai Rybakov, YABLOKO Bureau member, St.Petersburg

Emilia Slabunova, Member of YABLOKO Political Committee, the Republic of Karelia

Alexander Shishlov, Human Rights Ombudsman in St.Petersburg

Les Shlosberg, YABLOKO Bureau member, the Pskov region

Grigory Yavlinsky, YABLOKO founder, deputy of St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly

YABLOKO Congress is assembled at least once in four years. Delegates represent 77 regional branches of the party, members of party federal steering bodies, MPs of regional Federal Assemblies from five regions, and deputies from city Councils of capitals of seven regions. If there are YABLOKO municipal deputies in the region, this regional branch gets an additional mandate for the congress.

The 17th Congress of YABLOKO was held on 16-17 June, 2012. 

The information on YABLOKO congresses can be found here. 

The Congress will open on 19 December at 9:30.