Press release, 04.02.2017

Presidential candidate Grigory Yavlinsky claims that the essence of the coming election of the head of the State is that the country should move forward and stop going round in circles. He made such a statement at the Youth Forum of the presidential candidate’s election representatives which was held in Moscow.

Yavlinsky claims that the economic system in Russia has outlived itself and cannot be reformed. Only 15 per cent of the citizens have every opportunity while the rest 85 per cent have no perspectives. Today young people have no “growth scenarios”, it is to clear how to achieve success, why to get education if it is not possible to get a job in your chosen field, how to fulfil your potential. And this is a problem for the future of the country, Yavlinsky said.

According to Yavlinsky, the about-turn towards the past is a global trend and “in this respect Putin is very close to Trump”. This is also about Brexit and the growth of nationalism in Europe, for example, “the rising star of the French political Olympus Marine Le Pen”. “There are tendencies of returning to the past in many spheres and fields – “it used to be okay then!” – and there is lack of understanding with regard to the future. There is this main slogan “Make America Great Again” even in such a country as the United States. “Again” means going back, it is the exploitation of the past,” Yavlinsky stressed.

Yavlinsky emphasized that the topic of the past had been exploited in Russia for a very long time. “President Putin does not see any future, he lives in the past, therefore he wants to capture a part of Ukraine as if it had some positive meaning for our country. There is nothing but shame, damage and crime about at,” he said.

At the same time Yavlinsky is sure that Russia has the potential and resources in order to provide a rapid translational motion of advance for our country. In order to do so we need to change the government, stop “the policy of conflicts and pressure on the neighboring countries” and achieve the lifting of sanctions.

“Our responsibility is to provide a decent future but only you can fulfil it. If you put your personal, private interests in the first place, Russia will not be able to become a decent modern country, it is simply a fact,” he noted.

“No such a thing as “again” exists for us. We have another task – to make Russia a modern and rapidly developing country where life, dignity and respect for a person will be the priority. I invite you to work for it,” Yabloko’s presidential candidate concluded.

The New YABLOKO – Young Generation Forum opened a series of meetings of Grigory Yavlisnky and his election representatives. Young people from 30 regions of Russia participated in the Forum.

A candidate for President of Russia has the right to nominate up to 600 election representatives, the party, which nominated the candidate, can nominate 100 election representatives.

YABLOKO made a decision to nominate Grigory Yavlinsky as candidate for President of Russia at the party congress in February 2016. The party claims that Yavlinsky represents a real alternative to the incumbent President Vladimir Putin.

Grigory Yavlinsky participated in the presidential race three times. In 1996 he finished forth, in 2000 he finished third. He was withdrawn from the presidential race of 2012 on political grounds.