Today, on February 20, All-Russia congress of the Elder Generation
public association formed on the basis of the former Pensioners’
Party took place in YABLOKO’s office in Moscow. The congress
adopted a decision of a merger with YABLOKO via creation of
the Russia’s Pensioners faction in YABLOKO.
Delegates from 24 Russia’s regions participated in the congress:
22 delegates voted for the merger and 2 abstained. The Elder
Generation has branches in 32 Russia’s regions.
The leader of the Elder Generation Alexei Borschenko called
YABLOKO “the only party which can at present protect the interests
of Russia’s pensioners”. He also reiterated that pensioners
constitute about one third of Russia’s population.
Head of the Tula branch of the Elder Generation Anatoly Plesnyak
told that the Elder Generation has already blocked with YABLOKO
for the March elections to the regional parliament. Plesnyak
also spoke about positive cooperation experience of the Elder
Generation and YABLOKO in Tula. Thus, in summer 2009, YABLOKO
and the Elder Generation conducted a meeting against corruption
in the housing and utilities sector which resulted in dismissal
of the city mayor.
Leader of the Sverdlovsk branch of the Elder Generation and
deputy of the Sverdlovsk City Duma Sergei Lazaryev noted that
YABLOKO is the only party in the present Russia which is capable
of protection of democratic values and federalism. Lazaryev
is number two in YABLOKO’s list in the March elections to
the Sverdlovsk Region Duma.
“Today we have witnessed an important event – a merger of
two political forces,” YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin noted
at the press briefing. According to Mitrokhin, the merger
allowed to obtain “a powerful instrument for protection of
pensioners’ rights.”
Mitrokhin also noted that “YABLOKO has always had a goal to
conduct a pension reform which would allow to raise the pension
system to a high level.” “Joining our efforts with the people
who devoted their political activities to the solution of
this problem we shall be able to solve the problems of Russia’s
pensioners,” Mitrokhin said.
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