Why Am I with Yabloko?

By Sergei Stepashin

If I want to change something in the country, I look for allies. Who should I work with? With the people you know, respect and trust. I have got to know many people from Yabloko during my work in the government. I respect them as good experts and professionals: only Yabloko has the best prepared team of professionals in different fields.

Mikhail Zadornov, who was excellent as Finance Minister, may be a good example here. He could not do much, because he was there alone, rather than as a team member.

I trust them as honest people, people of principle, who consistently stand up for their views, even if such a stance doesn't win them any favours. This is a stable and serious party with its own programme and views on the development of the country. It is not a temporary party created simply to achieve victory at the elections and then disappear, as has been the case with many other parties.

This is not a party of bosses striving for power, in order to remain in power. It has been created by people for the people. I would call it the most democratic party in Russia. But, most importantly our political principles coincide: we both advocate honesty and responsibility in politics and in the executive authorities, the precedence of law, order in the economy and the country, that will improve everybody's living standards, rather than that of a few.

Yabloko is capable of becoming a leading party ready to implement its own programme and assume responsibility for the results. Grigory Yavlinsky and I agreed that it was time to switch to more decisive and definite work. We know what needs to be done, we can and will do everything we can to improve peoples' lives. Together we are a party of real action that knows how to change the situation in the country.