Party reset: why Yabloko was demanded to be removed from the State Duma elections
The Supreme Court of Russia has received a lawsuit from the Rodina party demanding that Yabloko be removed from the State Duma elections. It will be reviewed on August 10. The leader of Rodina, Alexei Zhuravlev, said that the initiative is related to data on alleged violations, including the financing of Yabloko from foreign sources. How other participants in the upcoming elections reacted and what other questions arose to the political force — in the Izvestia article.
The lawsuit against Yabloko
Rodina has filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of Russia demanding that Yabloko be removed from the upcoming State Duma elections. This was announced to journalists on August 7 by the party's leader, State Duma deputy Alexei Zhuravlev. The court's press service confirmed to Izvestia that the document had already been received. The claim will be considered on August 10.
The reason for it was the alleged violations discovered by Rodina. These include the financing of Yabloko from Western sources, as well as violations of electoral legislation and the law on advertising.
— They are no longer just advertising for millions, but for tens of millions of rubles — maybe even hundreds (this should be looked at) — on various social networks. These are posts that, of course, are paid for, but it is not clear who they are funded by or how the funds flow," Zhuravlev told Izvestia. — They should only go through the account of [Yabloko]. We strongly suspect that the funding is coming from abroad.
Earlier, the politician accused Yabloko of foreign financing from the structures of businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky (recognized as a foreign agent, included in the list of terrorists and extremists in the Russian Federation).
Among other possible violations of Yabloko, Zhuravlev cited signs of extremism. According to him, the claims are related to the statements and initiatives of the party representatives. In particular, he mentioned Yabloko's proposals to abolish penalties for fakes about the Russian Armed Forces, as well as statements about the need to abandon the liberation of the constitutional territories of the Russian Federation. Zhuravlev also recalled that the chairman of Yabloko, Nikolai Rybakov, had previously been barred from the elections precisely because of the article on extremism, but the organization continues similar activities.
Alexey Zhuravlev, leader of the Rodina party
Yabloko promised to express its position immediately after reviewing the document. The party's press service reported that Alexey Zhuravlev's statement of claim for the withdrawal of candidates from the State Duma elections has not yet been received by them, so they cannot comment on the essence of the claims before studying the text. The party's leader, Nikolai Rybakov, also stated that Yabloko has no foreign sources of funding, does not maintain any relations with organizations deemed undesirable in the Russian Federation, and does not consider statements, appeals, or events conducted by anyone abroad to be part of its election campaign.
Experts note that the Supreme Court has the right to remove the entire Yabloko federal list from the elections if violations provided for by law are confirmed. The leader of the New People, Alexei Nechaev, in a comment to Izvestia, stressed that in this situation it is necessary to wait for an official court decision.
— I just found out about the lawsuit against Yabloko. I'm sorry that this happened, I really am, because we have always advocated competition in business and politics. I do not know if the Yabloko party members themselves screwed up something or maybe someone framed them. But the law is the law, and all parties must follow it," he said.
Elections to the State Duma
Voting in the State Duma will take place from 18 to 20 September. It is curious that people who went abroad, recognized in the Russian Federation as foreign agents, as well as terrorists and extremists, were called to vote for Yabloko. Back in April, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the elections would be held in difficult conditions — opponents would do everything to create a split in society. The Head of State expressed confidence that all such attempts would be stopped, and voters would give preference to "constructive political programs and ideas."
On August 5, the Central Election Commission (CEC) approved the procedure for placing names and emblems of political parties on the ballot. Before the CEC meeting, a drawing of lots was held, which was attended by representatives of all 11 parties that registered federal lists of candidates. According to its results, the Yabloko party received the second number.
The day before, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said that Yabloko does not support the policy of strengthening statehood in a military conflict. Sergei Mironov, the head of Just Russia, joined the criticism, calling the political force a "party of traitors." According to him, she should not use the election campaign to the State Duma to promote anti-Russian ideas.
Mironov recalled that Yabloko had condemned the start of its operation in 2022. The position of the association has not changed even after the numerous crimes of the Kiev regime, the deputy added, calling on the Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of Justice to "take a closer look" at the party and give a legal assessment of the actions of its leaders.
The leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky also criticized. He called Yabloko's proposal to make peace with Kiev a betrayal, comparing this initiative with an attempt to repeat the Brest Peace Treaty of 1918. The deputy recalled that the country had lost vast territories and "millions of Russian people." Slutsky stressed that Yabloko is trying to impose a similar scenario.
The Yabloko party was expelled from the State Duma back in 2003. Then she scored 4.3% of the votes and did not overcome the 5% barrier.
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