Opposition Anti-War Party Barred from Election in Russia

Russia's Supreme Court has barred Yabloko, the liberal opposition party that opposes Moscow's war of aggression in Ukraine, from participating in the parliamentary elections in September.

In Moscow, Judge Vyacheslav Kirillov ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by Rodina, a nationalist party loyal to the Kremlin, which had alleged numerous violations of Russian law in the registration of the opposition party. Kirillov, who has been criticized as an agent of the Kremlin, followed the recommendation of the prosecutor's office, which deemed Rodina's complaint against the election commission to be justified.

Hundreds of supporters of the party gathered outside the courthouse, chanting "Yabloko, Yabloko." The party plans to challenge the ruling. Kirillov explicitly allowed for an appeal. Yabloko is calling for an end to Russia's war against Ukraine. The nationwide parliamentary election and local elections are scheduled for September 18-20.

During a hearing that lasted several hours, the party fought against its exclusion from the parliamentary election. Yabloko had not committed any legal violations, said party leader Nikolai Rybakov in his closing statement. The party advocates for peace and freedom and a life free from fear. Millions of Russians are ready to cast their votes for his party, Rybakov said. "Political competition is the essence of elections," he emphasized. The plaintiffs' goal, he said, is to deprive people of a free choice.

## Foreign Funding for Yabloko

Rodina accuses Yabloko of infringing copyrights in its campaign materials — for example, in depictions of doves of peace — and of spending an impermissible amount of money on online campaign advertising. In addition, Yabloko is alleged to have received 16,900 rubles (about 166 Swiss francs) in campaign funding from the U.S. and Germany. Lawyers for Yabloko disputed the allegations in the 40-page complaint. Rybakov called it a "historic trial," noting that never before has a party that was initially approved to run in an election been subsequently disqualified.

In his closing remarks, a representative of the Election Commission highlighted the issue of election funding from the West and said that it gave him pause for thought. He had previously defended the Commission's July decision to allow Yabloko to run in the election as one of eleven parties. The decision had been made unanimously.

## Yabloko: No evidence presented

The party wanted to run in the election under the slogan "For Peace and Freedom" and, in light of the political repression in the country, promised a "life without fear." Rybakov concluded by saying that the most important thing was for the killing to stop. He criticized Rodina for failing to present any evidence to support its accusations, claiming instead that it was making up stories and expressing absurd ideas. The Rodina representatives, backed by the prosecutor's office, appeared confident and certain of victory from the very beginning.

"The plaintiff is confusing the courtroom with a television talk show, where loud slogans, labels such as 'extremism,' and subjective associations take the place of the law," Rybakov said in response to the allegations. Yabloko is an "exclusively peaceful, civilized, and lawful political organization."

He also criticized the fact that Rodina's lawsuit undermined the authority of Ella Pamfilova, the head of the Central Election Commission. She had said that voters should decide for themselves between the political poles in Russia — for or against the war.

## Anti-War Party Branded as Traitors

A Rodina representative criticized in court that Yabloko's election platform consisted of only 43 words and that its call for a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine contradicted the war aims. Specifically, he cited the conquest of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — which the Kremlin has identified as war aims. The other parties support Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in his war.

Other parties loyal to the Kremlin had also called for Yabloko to be barred from the September vote. Several State Duma deputies who support Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine denounced Yabloko members as traitors and agents of the West. They are particularly critical of the fact that not a single participant in the war appears on Yabloko's electoral list.

## Yabloko has recently seen a noticeable increase in support

Observers attributed the attacks against Yabloko to the fact that the party had seen a surge in support since being admitted to the election — and that the risk of a possible victory had become too great for the Kremlin. Experts, citing polls, said the party had a chance of clearing the five-percent threshold in the election and returning to the Duma for the first time in more than 20 years.

It is true that Yabloko's most prominent members were not eligible to run in the election anyway, because they have been classified as "foreign agents" and are either on trial or in custody. But even with the largely unknown names on the ballot, political observers say the party's approval ratings rose.

## A Party Loyal to the Kremlin as a Tool

Political scientist Kirill Rogov suggested that the Kremlin likely allowed Yabloko to register initially in order to siphon votes away from the Duma party Novye Lyudi (New People) and, in effect, pulverize the votes of the anti-war camp as a whole if they were spread across multiple parties. As the smallest of the five parties represented in the Duma, Novye Lyudi had recently seen a significant rise in the polls following sharp criticism of issues such as internet blocks. The ruling Kremlin party, United Russia, with its staunch supporters of the war, on the other hand, saw its support plummet.

Rodina itself is a marginal party with no political clout. Commentators believe that it serves as a compliant tool for the power apparatus and the parties loyal to the Kremlin. Judge Kirillov is criticized by the Russian opposition as a servant of the Kremlin. Most recently, in another controversial trial, he banned the human rights organization Memorial, which had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.