If Yabloko can get into the regional Duma

The leader of the Sverdlovsk branch of the Union of Right Forces (SPS), Konstantin Karyakin, announced a possible change of party affiliation of candidates for regional Duma deputies from the SPS, whose names are included in the Yabloko party list. According to the head of the Sverdlovsk “right”, yesterday the Central Election Commission confirmed that if Yabloko wins the elections to the regional Duma, only members of this party will be able to receive deputy mandates. But the central apparatus of the Union of Right Forces believes that Sverdlovsk party members will not have to give up membership in the party: if candidates from the Union of Right Forces can count on a place in the Duma, the Union of Right Forces plans to defend the right to mandates of the “right” in the Constitutional Court. The question of changing party orientation in the SPS department arose after a statement by the head of the Sverdlovsk election commission, Vladimir Mostovshchikov. “Candidates from the Union of Right Forces who are on the Yabloko list will not be able to become deputies of the regional Duma. After all, according to the new legislation, only party members can receive mandates from party lists,” said Mr. Mostovshchikov. According to him, such rules establish amendments to the electoral legislation. In the current elections, such a rule will apply only to the Yabloko list, which also includes representatives of the Union of Rightist Forces.

After Mr. Mostovshchikov’s statement, the leader of the Sverdlovsk “right” turned to the Central Election Commission for clarification. According to Mr. Karyakin, the Central Election Commission confirmed the words of the head of the regional election commission. The nuance is that the amendments to the law “On Political Parties” and “On the General Principles of Organization (Representative) and Executive Bodies of State Power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation”, prohibiting the formation of lists of candidates of different parties, came into force after the date of the Sverdlovsk elections was announced. Therefore, according to the election commission, the party list may contain the names of candidates from other political associations, but they will receive mandates according to the new rules.

In this regard, according to Konstantin Karyakin, the issue of a possible change of party affiliation of members of the Union of Right Forces whose names are on the Apple list is now being discussed. There is another option - the law allows non-party citizens to participate in elections as party members. But the Sverdlovsk Union of Right Forces has already rejected this option. “In September we will consider the issue of changing the party affiliation of two of the three SPS candidates,” Mr. Karyakin explained, but refused to name names. Let us remind you that second place in the list is occupied by the leader of the regional branch of the “right” Konstantin Karyakin, third - Vasily Neustroev, fourth - Valery Shinkarenko.

True, such plans of the regional “right” may not coincide with the interests of the party’s top leadership. Yesterday, the chairman of the federal political council of the Union of Right Forces, Nikita Belykh, in a conversation with a Kommersant correspondent, said that there was no talk of changing party affiliation. “If candidates from the Union of Right Forces are able to qualify for parliamentary seats, we will appeal the amendments to the electoral legislation in the Constitutional Court,” he promised.

Local political scientists are skeptical about Yabloko's chances of overcoming the 7% barrier. According to political scientist Sergei Moshkin, it will be difficult for the party to compete with the LDPR and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, which gained 8.65% and 8.63%, respectively, in the regional Duma elections in 2004. It is worth noting that the right may not receive a mandate even if it overcomes the 7% barrier. After all, the joint list is headed by the leader of the Sverdlovsk Yabloko, Maria Dronova.

Meanwhile, a total of 9 parties will take part in the election campaign, including Patriots of Russia, Narodnaya Volya and Rodina, whose lists were registered by the regional election commission yesterday.

ANNA MOTORINA

Kommersant (Ekaterinburg) No. 159 from 08/29/2006

Sverdlovsk “rightists” are ready to change their party orientation