Statement on the removal of the Yabloko party from Parliament elections

Members of the Democratic Alliance of Russians Abroad condemn the Supreme Court’s decision to remove the Yabloko party from the so-called elections to the State Duma.

This electoral procedure, like the similar “elections” that preceded it, has had nothing to do with a free democratic process from the outset. Its conduct in the occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as the unlawfully adopted amendments to the Constitution in 2020, automatically undermine its legitimacy. Moreover, even before the start of the full-scale invasion, the Putin regime was suppressing the free expression of citizens’ will by falsifying voting results and denying the opposition any genuine opportunity to participate in the electoral process. Undesirable candidates were refused registration, while those who were registered were not given the opportunity to campaign on equal terms with pro-regime candidates.

The Yabloko party was the only party on the ballot that openly advocated an end to the military conflict. But it is important for the Putin regime to demonstrate that there are no opponents of the war left in Russia — to create the illusion of complete unity in society around the war. This is precisely why Yabloko was removed from the elections. In doing so, the regime once again demonstrated that the legal avenues for the political representation of war opponents within Russia have been essentially destroyed.

DARA refuses to recognise this latest electoral “special operation” and its results as an expression of the will of the citizens. What actually takes place is the formation of a parliament that is already deprived of any real power, with seats to be divided among pseudo-parties that equally support war and dictatorship. This procedure itself serves only to further strengthen the dictatorial regime, rather than to realise citizens’ rights. It is yet another attempt to conceal the long-completed usurpation of power by Putin’s criminal syndicate behind a pseudo-electoral façade.

Signatories:

Democratic Community of Russians in Cyprus

Russians for Freedom and Democracy Italia

Russie-Libertés

Freies Russland NRW

Russian Democratic Society UK

Associazione dei Russi Liberi di Torino

Anti-war Serbia

Democratic Community of Russian-speakers in Finland

Demokrati-JA

Board of SmåRådina

Antikrigskommittén i Sverige "Russians against war"