Rysslands äldsta demokratiska parti, Jabloko, får inte delta i valen i Sankt Petersburg den 11 mars i år. Detta efter att deras överklagan inte vunnit gehör hos Centrala valkommissionen och högsta domstolen valt att inte ta upp fallet till prövning.
Maksim Reznik, ordförande för Jabloko i Sankt Petersburg, säger att det inte råder någon tvekan om att detta är en politisk beställning. Behandlingen av Jablokos ansökan om registrering har präglats av godtycke och motsägelser.
I valet i Sankt Petersburg, som för första gången sker enbart på partilistor, har medborgarna att välja mellan två partier skapade av Kreml (Enade Ryssland och Rättvisa Ryssland), det gamla kommunistpartiet och några små partier som inte har några vidare chanser att ta sig över spärren. Jabloko, som bildades 1993 och i förra valet fick ca 10 procent av rösterna, kommer inte att stå med på valsedeln.
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Carl B hamilton och Birgitta Ohlsson protesterar mot behandlingen av jabloko
Stockholm 2007.02.05
St. Petersburg Branch ”Yabloko”
To whom it may concern
Re.: The suggested ban of the Yabloko party to the elections for the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly
Dear Sir/Madam,
We consider ourselves friends of the beautiful city of Saint Petersburg and of Russia, and it is in this spirit we take the liberty by way of this letter to express our concern. In the light of the close and long standing co-operation between Sweden and the city of Saint Petersburg, we trust that you will accept our message.
We are deeply concerned about the recent decision to reject to admit the St. Petersburg branch of the Party Yabloko to the March elections. In our view and according to established European values, to exclude an established political party from elections should only be done in extreme cases and on the basis of solid proof and open clear legal criteria.
We are sorry to say — based on the information we have gathered — that we seem to have good reason to doubt that there are acceptable legal and formal reasons in Yabloko case. Participation in the elections of the opposition party Yabloko is important for the proper workings of democracy, and especially — of course — for the thousands of people that wish to vote for them.
As experienced and elected members of the Swedish parliament we have met representatives of the Yabloko Party on several occasions within our cooperation in the international Liberal movement. In our view and experience, their dedication to democracy, free speech, prosperity and the future of Russia country is both deep and sincere. For this reason we want underline the importance of normal democratic treatment of the Yabloko party in the upcoming elections and our grave concern regarding a potential ban of the party in the elections. We and other Liberal political parties will of course closely follow the continued process in your dear and important city.
Carl B. Hamilton
Member of National Parliament
Sweden
Birgitta Ohlsson
Spokesperson Foreign Affairs for the liberal party Folkpartiet
Member of National Parliament
Sweden