| The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO is not splitting.
The party has regrouped to oppose the new political regime in Russia. YABLOKO's
members from Khabarovsk will make their contribution at the local level
too. They consider as their main goal the strengthening of control over
Khabarovsk budget expenditures and the privatization process. On July 4
the 12th congress of the YABLOKO party was held in Moscow.
- We are not splitting, said Jean Manko, head of the Khabarovsk branch
of the YABLOKO party at a press conference on July 16. - We have people
with different opinions. Some of them said during a live broadcast of
RTR and NTV television companies that the party had split. However, as
a political force YABLOKO is not going to disappear from the political
scene unlike CPRF and SPS.
Jean Manko also told us about the documents adopted by the congress,
as well as its addresses and statements. The congress re-elected Grigory
Yavlinsky Chairman of the party and changed by-laws and also discussed
the main directions of work at a time of a financing shortfall.
The programme resolution of the congress reflected the following main
goals of the party for the next three or four years: protection of democratic
values and institutions, opposition to the totalitarian attack, protection
of citizens from the arbitrary rule of bureaucracy and law and enforcement
agencies, creation of an efficient model of a coalition policy which would
facilitate mobilization of the democratic electorate during elections,
successful participation in the regional and local elections, as well
as elections to the State Duma in 2007.
Another important position of the party is opposition to the [government's]
antisocial reforms. The party announced that it would oppose the adoption
of laws to replace social privileges with compensation, the current housing
reforms and transfer to paid education and healthcare. The congress also
adopted several statements on protesting against the criminalisation of
elections in Vladivostok and burial of imported nuclear waste in Russia.
A number of statements reflected [the party] positions on the inactivity
of the law and enforcement agencies and the state in investigating the
ordered murders of antifascist Nikolai Girenko and journalist Paul Khlebnikov.
The numerous documents adopted by the party can be regarded as evidence
that YABLOKO is acting as a democratic opposition to the present Russian
authorities. However, it is difficult to imagine the methods YABLOKO has
to apply to somehow influence the adoption of regulatory acts without
having a majority in the Duma. Jean Manko also said that about 600 people
are YABLOKO's members in the area at present. This is not much, and it
is virtually impossible to check. Therefore it is difficult to believe
that the democratic opposition will really be able not only to grow but
at least to recover its position in the coming four years.
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