The majority (106 out of 109) delegates of the YABLOKO Congress nominated Grigory Yavlinsky candidate for presidential elections in Russia.
«The result of the [State Duma] elections leaves us no doubt that we have far more than two million supporters needed for the party to register in the presidential elections,” Grigory Yavlinsky said.
He also said that the election campaign is not a purely political procedure, it is «a discussion with the citizens of a possibility and a need of different policies that should be conducted on different moral grounds».
«The result of the State Duma elections demonstrated that alternative policy is in demand in the society. And this should be moral and programmed based policies,” he added.
YABLOKO have to participate in the presidential elections also because «no one else will offer the society a programme which implies full democratization of political life, creation of permanent and efficient mechanisms of public control over the government».
In particular, such programme by YABLOKO includes eight items: adoption of new legislation on elections and political parties; investigation into the activities of electoral commissions; conducting new fair parliamentary elections; ensuring independence of courts; mass-scale revision of judgments against unlawfully convicted persons; return of gubernatorial elections; elections to the Federation Council and elimination of control over mass media.
«In other words, we should have the same law for everyone, the court that will not obey to orders and money and protected private property,” said the politician.
According to Yavlinsky, the economic policy should envisage creation of jobs and development of national industry, developing and populating vast areas of land increasing comfort of living conditions for millions of people. Government pressure on business should be reduced. YABLOKO’s economic strategy is described in detail in the Land-Housing-Roads programme.
Yavlinsky also stressed that the army conscription should be abolished and transfer to a professional contract based army should be made.
Foreign policies must be freed from propaganda cliches and myths of the Cold War era.
«We often watch documentaries and feature films about our leaders of the past periods, about how they ruled the country in a perverse way and for an immensely long period of time, and how they developed their extremely negative reputation in the history. We do not want our grandchildren thirty years later to watch movies about our era and see the present leaders as rogues, thieves, manipulators and criminals. And we do not want our country to gain a reputation of a laughingstock because of them. We must shift from definite personalities and nomenklatura groups to democratic institutions, where everyone will have a place. And we must do it immediately”, Yavlinsky said.
Grigory Yavlinsky: “The winner is not the strongest, but the one who goes all the way”.
From the speech by Grigory Yavlinsky at YABLOKO’s congress. Quotations.
Today many people realise that what has happened at elections. Only two parties – an «any» party (Ed. reference to the fact that all other parties participating in the elections were Kremlin’s projects) and YABLOKO – participated in the recent elections. This «any» party got frightened and won by means of dirty tricks and fraud. This was a carefully planned crime. These people are known and will bear criminal responsibility. If not right now, they will be punished later.
Our goal is a legitimate and non-violent change of power. Without changing the government we can not overcome the system of lie and corruption. Without changing the government we will face hard times.
We will make power legitimate and democratic. That is why we think that it is important to participate in the presidential elections. Not to answer this challenge would mean demonstrating weakness and irresponsibility.
I realise what a difficult campaign I am facing. But fear and frustration means a defeat even before the start of the campaign until the beginning of the fight.
We do not think that our party lost in the parliamentary elections, so many honest and decent people voted for us that we can say that under the circumstances, it is a victory — the victory over doubts, fear, apathy and indifference. But it was only the first round.
I conducted 36 boxing fights in my young years and learned the key thing: the winner is not the strongest, but the one who goes all the way, the one who is not frightened.
We know that the enemy is using dirty tricks, that he is stronger and that the judges are bribed. But we will still go all the way and will fight honestly.
And no one will be able to reproach us that we threw the towel on the ring before the fight, got frightened and refused to fight.
YABLOKO will participate in the presidential elections. And I ask all of you to support us. If a fighter feels support from the stands, his strength is doubled, and I know that from my own experience.
We do not fear the enemy, we are not afraid of the bribed judges, the mockery and ridicule. The only thing that can knock us out of the saddle is lack of support from the people. All other things only make us stronger. Therefore, we will win!
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