Press Release, 22.09.2014

The activists of the Moscow branch of Youth YABLOKO conducted a series of one-person pickets during the adjuration ceremony of the newly elected deputies of the Moscow City Duma.

The activists held placards which said “Pseudo-deputies, give up your mandates!”, “Moscow City Duma named after Rakova is a disgrace for Moscow” [Anastasia Rakova is deputy Moscow Mayor], “Parliament should be elected by all the citizens, not only social workers and housing and utilities workers!”.

Youth YABLOKO claim the elections to the Moscow City Duma were illegitimate. The administrative recourse in support of the pro-government candidates was used in all the electoral districts. The campaigning materials of YABLOKO candidates were destroyed by order of the administrative boards. Social workers were told to call disadvantage social groups and persuade them to vote for the pro-government candidates. What is more, the authorities did everything to lower the voters participation in the elections.

“Deputy Moscow Mayor Anastasia Rakova put pressure on the advertisement company which we dealt with, so they had to take down YABLOKO billboards under the threat of being closed. Mayor Sobyanin and his deputy Rakova will be percent at the ceremony today. Some of the guest come in through the back entrance. But even if we don’t see them through the dark glass of their cars, they see us”, said Youth YABLOKO activist Nikolai Kavkazsky who run for Moscow City Duma deputy in the 45th electoral district.