Press Release, 24.07.2020

On July 24, the regional electoral commission of the Chelyabinsk region decided to refuse registration to Yabloko candidates for the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Chelyabinsk Region.

The Yabloko party submitted to the electoral commission 13,878 voters’ signatures in support of nomination of the party candidates, as required by law, but the electoral commission considered that over 20 per cent of these signatures (about 1,500 signatures) were invalid and unreliable and refused registration to Yabloko candidates.

The Chelyabinsk regional branch of the Yabloko party declared disagreement with the electoral commission’s decision.

“The Electoral Commission of the Chelyabinsk region is acting with procedural violations,” Yaroslav Shcherbakov, Chairman of the Chelyabinsk Yabloko said. “First, we received statements and protocols of checking subscription lists after a fight, then the electoral commission refused to let us see our subscription lists, giving this opportunity only to members of the commission, after which they sent us the corrected statements and minutes just before the meeting of the commission. Although these documents should be provided two days before the meeting.”

Yabloko will continue defending its right to participate in elections guaranteed by the Constitution. The party prepares appeals to the Central Electoral Commission and is going to file lawsuits in courts.

On Monday, July 27, a protest action will take place. All Yabloko collectors of signatures and voters who signed for Yabloko are invited to participate in it.

The list of Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko in the elections to the regional parliament includes 53 people, in particular, the former ombudsman for human rights in the region, human rights and environmental protection activists.

Yabloko party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov sent a complaint to the Central Electoral Commission about the actions of the Electoral Commission of the Chelyabinsk Region. Rybakov calls for invalidating the results of verification of voters’ signatures in favour of Yabloko candidates at the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Chelyabinsk region. Yabloko demanded that the Cenral Electoral Commission should oblige the Electoral Commission of the Chelyabinsk region to allow a member of the commission from the Yabloko party to get acquainted with the documents on the verification of signatures.