Two Different Things
Trud, July 19, 2002
The Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) is prone to sudden new ideas. Petr Kutcherenko, a member of the SPS national political council and leader of the SPS youth wing, has proposed asking Boris Yeltsin to head the democratic bloc during the parliamentary elections scheduled for December 2003.

Seleznev Will Not Manage to Become  a Lebed
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, by Anatoli Kostyukov. July 19, 2002
Yesterday the Duma delegation of the YABLOKO faction handed Andrei Sharonov, RF Former friends make the worst enemies. Obviously, following this reasoning, it has been predicted that the party being launched by Duma speaker Gennady Seleznev will be a dangerous competitor for the Communist Party (CPRF).

St. Petersburg Youth Union YABLOKO proposes that the leadership of Oktyabrskya Rail Road conduct a joint action "Railroad Without Insulting Graffiti"
ABN (North-Western federal district, St.Petersburg), July 15, 2002
St. Petersburg. Chairman of St.Petersburg Youth Union YABLOKO V. Drugov forwarded an open letter to the head of the Oktyabrskaya Rail Road G. Komarov. The press service of the Youth Union YABLOKO informed ABN (www.abnews.ru) about the increasing frequency of manifestations of everyday nationalism and their impact on the work of the department...

YABLOKO will not support government draft for reforming RAO UES
Press Release. July 18, 2002
The YABLOKO faction will not support the draft for reforming RAO UES proposed by the RF Government. This statement was made by Deputy Head of the Yabloko faction in the State Duma Igor Artemyev to Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade Andrei Sharonov during a meeting between representatives of the Ministry for Economic Development and deputies and experts of the YABLOKO faction held on July 18, 2002.

An extension in the electoral potential of governors represents a manifestation of the political weakness of President Putin
Pskov News Line (Pskov Region), by Lev Shlosberg, leader of Pskov YABLOKO. July 15, 2002

YABLOKO Sets Up Chubais His opponents reject his plan for reforming RAO UES even after revisions
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, by Anatoli Kostyukov. July 19, 2002
Yesterday the Duma delegation of the YABLOKO faction handed Andrei Sharonov, RF Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, an alternative draft for reforming the electricity sector of Russia. Before this ceremony Deputy Head of the YABLOKO faction Igor Artemyev confirmed the willingness of the faction to vote jointly against the concept proposed by the government and recommended recalling the whole package of draft laws on restructuring RAO UES, which had already been sent by the Cabinet to the State Duma.

YABLOKO AND THE VACUUM
No merger or alliance for the Union of Right-Wing Forces and Yabloko
Vek No. 22, by Andrei Ryabov. July 12, 2002
The latest round of talks about campaign cooperation between the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) and Yabloko has led to much discussion about the form of this cooperation - from joint support for candidates in single-mandate districts to all the democratic parties uniting behind one presidential candidate. As in previous years, there is a marked level of scepticism about the possibility of a pre-election alliance between these parties.

Chubais and Kirienko to Oust Putin
Gazeta.ru, by Elena Rudneva. June 27, 2002.
The leader of YABLOKO, Grigory Yavlinsky, issued this statement. According to Yavlinsky, he planned to have a meeting on Monday with the President to "discuss this threat".

The court has satisfied the libel suit filed by the leader of the YABLOKO party Grigory Yavlinsky against APN Agency of Political News
Press Release July 10, 2002
Zamoskvoretsky Intermunicipal Court of Moscow satisfied the libel suit filed by the Chairman of the Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO Grigory Yavlinsky against the Internet Agency of Political News (APN).

The court recognised the information spread by the Noviy Peterburg newspaper about Grigory Yavlinsky and YABLOKO to be libel
Press Release July 3, 2002
Dzerzhinsky Federal Court of the Central District of St.Petersburg satisfied the libel action filed by the Chairman of the Russian democratic Party YABLOKO Grigory Yavlinsky against the Noviy Peterburg newspaper.

Atomic Energy Ministry Has Been Cheating Interview
Moscow News #27, July 17, 2002. by Natalya Fridman
Atomic Energy Ministry Has Been Cheating Interview by Natalya Fridman Sergei Mitrokhin (Yabloko faction), deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Local Government, comments on the situation.

Reform Has Lost Its Way Small Businesses and Lorries Will be Hardest Hit
Moskovskiye Novosti, By Dmitri Dokuchayev, June 10, 2002.
A number of important fiscal draft laws were examined by the Duma during the spring-summer session that has just ended. We asked Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes Mikhail Zadornov to comment.

Updating

• Yabloko against Nuclear Waste Imports

Lawmakers Appeal Pasko Conviction
The Associated Press. July 11, 2002.
Prominent lawmakers and activists appealed to the Supreme Court chairman Wednesday to reconsider a treason conviction against Grigory Pasko, a military journalist whose case has angered international media freedom groups.

Russia lawmakers appeal to Supreme Court chairman to reconsider treason verdict against journalist
Associated Press, July 10, 2002
MOSCOW - Prominent Russian lawmakers and activists appealed Wednesday to Russia's Supreme Court chairman to reconsider a treason conviction against a military journalist whose case has angered international media freedom groups.

Updating

• Russia-US Relations
• Russia-EU Relations
• Relationships with Ukraine

Address of the All-Russia Democratic Assembly to the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Lebedyev on the Pasko case
To: The Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
V.M. Lebedyev

Resolution "Good Governance - The Liberal Agenda"
51st Congress of Liberal International
Budapest, Hungary, March 21-23, 2002

YABLOKO and the Union of Right-Wing Forces to Agree in Autumn
Kommersant, July 6, 2002. By Syuzanna Farizova
On July 5, a meeting of the united political council of the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) and Yabloko was held in the Duma. After a debate that lasted two hours, the two democratic parties decided to run in the 2003 parliamentary election separately but coordinate their lists of candidates in single-mandate districts. The main issue forthe parties - the nomination of a single candidate in the 2004 presidential election - was not decided.

Statement by The Joint Political Council of the political parties the Union of Right-Wing Forces and YABLOKO
Moscow July 5, 2002

Representatives of the democratic forces created a Coordination Committee to oppose fascism, extremism, xenophobia and nationalism
Press Release, July 4, 2002
Representatives of democratic forces created a Coordination Committee to organise and coordinate a mass-scale campaign of non-violence to oppose fascism, extremism, xenophobia and nationalism.

Igor Artemyev joins the working group responsible for the development of laws to reform the electricity sector
Press Release, July 4, 2002
On the instructions of the Yabloko faction, Igor Artemyev, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Credit Organisations and Financial Markets of the State Duma and Deputy Head of the Yabloko faction, joined the working group (created jointly with the Government and the Federation Council) responsible for the development of agreed variants of the package of draft laws for state regulation of electricity and heat, as well as reforms in the electricity sector.

State Duma Puts Business on Hold
The Moscow Times, July 2, 2002. By Victoria Lavrentieva.
Itar-Tass

Putin shaking hands with Duma leaders after parliament adjourned for the summer Monday. From right are Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznyov, People's Deputy head Gennady Raikov, Fatherland-All Russia head Vyacheslav Volodin, Unity head Vladimir Pekhtin, Russia's Regions head Oleg Morozov and Yabloko head Grigory Yavlinsky.

Yabloko to Team Up With SPS For Vote
The Moscow Times, July 8, 2002. By Oksana Yablokova.
Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces, the country's two main liberal parties, announced Friday that they will work out a joint political platform for backing a single "democratic" candidate in the next presidential election, in 2004.

Political Bills Win Far Less Praise
The Moscow Times, July 2, 2002. By Gregory Feifer.
In contrast to the economic legislation passed in the State Duma's spring session, the political and social legislation gave deputies less reason to crow as they headed out for the summer Monday.

The most notable bills, all controversial, were those to fight political extremism, allow a limited alternative service to the military draft and make it more difficult to become a Russian citizen.

Senate Election Bill.
The Moscow Times, July 2, 2002
MOSCOW (MT) -- Yabloko has introduced a bill to the State Duma that provides for direct elections of members to the Federation Council.

Lawmakers Present A Liberal Media Bill
The Moscow Times, July 5, 2002. By Andrei Zolotov Jr.
A group of influential lawmakers announced Thursday that it has drafted a new mass media law that aims to discourage the government from owning media outlets and introduce a European-style concept of public media.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) regard the Grigory Pasko case as “manifestation of a spy hunt” and a “serious threat to freedom of expression and freedom of speech in Russia”
Press Release, June 26, 2002
The Group of Liberals, Democrats and Reformers (LDR) in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe expressed its “deep concern over the decision of the Supreme Court of Russia to leave in force the verdict, whereby journalist Grigory Pasko is imprisoned.”

Yabloko’s Budget Will Ripe by Autumn
Vremya Novostei, July 4, 2002, By Viktor Khamrayev
By autumn the Yabloko faction of the State Duma will prepare its own variant of the state budget for 2003 as an alternative to the government’s draft budget. Grigory Yavlinsky’s colleagues have still not decided what their budget will focus on in 2003. Priorities here may be education, military reform or demographic problems. In the end, the choice of priorities is not a financial task, it is only “a problem of the political will of the authorities,” explained deputy of the Duma Igor Artemyev who heads Yabloko’s group for the development of the budget, to Vremya Novostei. For example, when the authorities set last year the task of conducting army reform as soon as possible, according to Artemyev, an additional 1% of the revenue part of the budget for 2002 had to be spent on defence.

Yabloko faction to initiate an address to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on repealing the law on Russian citizenship
Rosbalt, July 1, 2002
The Yabloko faction of the State Duma is going to initiate an address to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on repealing the law “On Citizenship in the RF”. Such a statement, according to our Rosbalt correspondent, was made by Deputy Head of the Yabloko faction in the State Duma Igor Artemyev at a press conference on Monday. According to Artemyev this law infringes human rights.

Russian Parliament members pleased with the meeting with the Russian President
RIA Novosti. July 1, 2002
Moscow, July 1, 2002 (from RIA Novosti correspondent Oleg Osipov)

Leaders of the Duma factions and associations are pleased with the results of their meeting with the Russian president in the Kremlin.

YABLOKO: Federation Council members should be elected
Press Release, June 28, 2002
On June 28, 2002, draft law "On the procedure for forming the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation" prepared by deputies of the Yabloko faction Sergei Ivanenko, Igor Artemyev and Sergei Mitrokhin was submitted to the State Duma.

YABLOKO wants to change the procedure for forming the Federation Council
Commersant, June 28, 2002
Members of the Yabloko faction of the Russian parliament submitted to the State Duma the draft law on the procedure for forming the Federation Council. According to the Press Service of the Yabloko faction, the draft envisages the formation of the Federation Council on the basis of universal, equal and direct franchise.

On adoption of the law on alternative civilian service by the State Duma
Ekho Moskvi Radio Station. June 28, 2002
Moderator - Varfolameyv

Moderator: Today the State Duma has finally (in the third reading) adopted the law on alternative civilian service; according to our correspondent Inessa Zemler 237 deputies voted for the law.

The Duma as a Screen
Vremya MN, by Sergei Guk, June 28, 2002
These days, the fate of every draft law is considered by the "Politburo" (Ed. allusion to the Communist Party of the USSR), consisting of the leaders of four centrist factions. Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Kudrin admits that the Cabinet's version of a law is forwarded to the four, receives their approval, and that is that. More and more often, the Kremlin and the Cabinet find it too much effort to obtain advice from the leaders of the remaining five factions and groups. Only draft laws blessed by the executive branch of the government pass the lower house. In its present form, the Duma is anything but a house of parliament. Do you think that is an exaggeration?