Press Release, 20.02.2021

Photo: Grigory Yavlinsky / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

On 19 February 19, a regular meeting of the Federal Political Committee (FPC) of the Yabloko Party took place. The meeting was attended by all 17 members of the FPC. The Federal Political Committee considered two issues: the statement “On systemic threats to life, health and rights of citizens” and approved the principal directions of the party’s reform. The meeting lasted about six hours.

The FPC discussed and adopted (by 15 votes in favour and one abstained) the statement made by Grigory Yavlinsky “On systemic threats to the life, health and rights of Russian citizens”. This document contains, among other things, the theses of Grigory Yavlinsky’s article “No to Putinism and Populism”, which was published on 6 February and provoked wide public debate.

The statement provides the key characteristics of Putin’s system that pose a threat to the life and health of Russians, including lies and repression as a way of communicating with society, “hybrid” terror, “death squads”, readiness to use violence against protesters, and aggressive nationalism and political populism.

The statement runs that a nationalist and left-populist agenda has been emerging and gaining strength in society. Populists impose on society, as a goal of anti-Putin protest, the so-called “smart voting” [voting for any party but the ruling United Russia party] – support for the parties that share the president’s aggressive-imperial policy. Yabloko is convinced that voting for the Communist Party, the LDPR and A Just Russia is “participation in the game on the side of the authorities”.

Yabloko also considers incitement of social hatred as an engine of protest, unwillingness to see real problems and the search for emotional satisfaction in fake constructions divorced from reality (the image of a frightened government, inflated expectations from campaigns in social networks, etc.) be unacceptable.

To counter these threats, Yabloko will not enter into alliances with nationalists, communists and other “leftists” in its current work and in the elections. The party will strive with all its might to seek an investigation of political assassinations and attempts on the life (including the attempt on the life of Alexei Navalny). The most important task of the party is the struggle for the release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.

Photo: Federal Political Committee members Viktor Sheinis, Lev Shlosberg and Svetlana Gannushkina

The draft decision of the Federal Political Committee on the principal directions of the party’s reform was introduced by Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov and Deputy Chair Ivan Bolshakov.

The FPC approved the main directions of the party reform and suggested focusing on a number of directions when preparing amendments to the party by-laws. These amendments include introduction of compulsory general party voting in determining candidates for the post of party chairman; introduction of party primaries when determining party candidates for the post of President of Russia, regional governors, leaders of party lists of candidates in elections to regional legislative assemblies; and upholding the mechanism of general party discussions and debates.

It is expected that the amendments to the by-laws will be adopted at the party congress in late March this year. The FPC recommends to conduct re-registration of all party members after a single voting day in September.

The texts of both decisions of the Political Committee, taking into account the amendments made, will be published on the party’s website in the coming days.

The next meeting of the FPC will take place on 26 February and discuss the issues related to Yabloko’s preparations for the parliamentary elections.