A joint address to the Muscovites was signed by Fatherland, Unity, Yabloko and the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) at the office of Moscow’s mayor on Monday, November 5, 2001. The document was signed by Yuri Luzhkov, Vladimir Pekhtin, Boris Nemtsov and Grigory Yavlinsky.

It states that all four political organisations decided to submit a joint list of candidates for the elections to the Moscow City Duma.

The address states: “Through this considered action, we hope to reduce to zero the prospects for any political speculations, reduce the “ammunition” ofamateurs of dirty [political] technologies, protect Moscovites from different self-proclaimed candidates who claim to have the pseudo-support of authoritative persons or public political movements.”

According to the authors of this document “the City Duma needs capable and honest people with common sense, who area ready to assume personal and civic responsibility and capable of understanding and protecting the interests of their electorate.” The address also notes that this was the basic principle behind the formation of a single list of candidates that may be supported by the electorate.

These represent the third elections to Moscow City Duma (the first elections were held in 1993, the second in 1997) scheduled for December 16, 2001 in 35 electoral districts. The registration of candidates will finish on November 15, 2001.

Candidates to deputies of the Moscow City Duma should collect signatures from 1% of the electorate of their electoral district or submit a deposit.

Based on Interfax reports.