The forthcoming elections to the Moscow Duma in December 2001 were the main issue at the meeting of the Chairman of the Yabloko Association Grigory Yavlinsky with the heads and activists of Yabloko from different Moscow local organisations held on Wednesday, September 5, 2001.

Previously the Central Council Bureau of the Yabloko Association had approved the selection of six candidates for deputies to the Moscow Duma. According to Yavlinsky, the decision of the Central Bureau does not rule out broader participation of Yabloko in the forthcoming election campaign.

Asked about he possibility for forming blocs with other political forces,Yavlinsky stated his readiness to conduct negotiations with everybody ready to show such intentions, naming as the most probable partners of Yabloko the Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS). Speaking about the division of political forces on the threshold of the campaign, Yavlinsky paid special attention to the tasks of Yabloko, stressing that the political situation in the city would change many times. Commenting on the declaration of the well-known TV-journalist Sergei Dorenko of his readiness to form his own electoral bloc, the leader of Yabloko said that this might render the electoral struggle even more acute.

Speaking about developments in the Moscow branch of Yabloko, Yavlinsky said that “Moscow has never failed Yabloko” and spoke in favour of a transition to new stages of development and the construction of “qualitatively new type” of organisation. It was also noted that the Moscow Duma election campaign may catalyse qualitative growth of the regional organisation. At the same time, according to Yavlinsky, the development of the Moscow branch of Yabloko has to become the main direction of work in Moscow.

As elections to the governing bodies of the Moscow organisations of Yabloko coincide with the election campaign to the Moscow Duma and the collection of signatures in favour of a referendum on banning imports of spent nuclear fuel into Russia, Yavlinsky discussed at the meeting the tactics and strategy of the Moscow organisation for the next few months. Appointments to different posts in Yabloko during the transitional period were also discussed.

Deputy of the State Duma and Ideology Secretary of the party Sergei Mitrokhin ,who was also present at the meeting, informed the audience about preparations for the referendum. According to Mitrokhin, the Headquarters headed by member of the Yabloko faction and Secretary of the Yabloko party for Elections and Interaction with the Authorities Igor Artemyev was actively preparing for the beginning of the collection of signatures. A nation-wide referendum on banning the imports of spent nuclear fuel into Russia might well take place next year.

See also:

Nuclear waste bill section of the web-site