Russian Supreme Court Rejects Yabloko’s Appeal Over Candidate List Ban
The high court upheld its earlier ruling that the pro-peace party had made copyright violations and broken campaign finance laws.
Russia's Supreme Court has upheld its decision to cancel the registration of Yabloko, the country's oldest liberal party, for the upcoming State Duma elections. The court ruled against Yabloko for copyright violations during campaign activities and for accepting alleged foreign funding. This ruling removes Yabloko from the nationwide party-list ballot, which holds half of the 450 seats in the State Duma.
Party chairman Nikolai Rybakov criticized the court's decision, stating that it was a mere imitation of a court proceeding and that they will continue to seek legal avenues to prove their case. Yabloko was disqualified from the election for advocating peace and freedom, a stance the party claims is being targeted. Despite the setback, Yabloko is preparing alternative strategies for those who support their pro-peace platform but cannot vote for them in the parliamentary elections.
The party plans to appeal the Supreme Court's decision to the country's Constitutional Court. The upcoming election, expected to be dominated by the ruling United Russia party, could provide insights into how the conflict in Ukraine has impacted Russia's political landscape. Yabloko, not currently in parliament, has been campaigning on issues such as an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, freedom of information, and an end to political repression.
The Moscow Times, in its coverage of this story, emphasizes the ongoing challenges faced by independent journalism in Russia, including the Prosecutor General's Office designating the outlet as undesirable and labeling it as a foreign agent.
Written by urgent.news from The Moscow Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
