Russia Removes Yabloko from State Duma Ballot

According to the Meduza website, Russia’s Central Election Commission has officially removed the opposition party Yabloko from the list of candidates for the State Duma elections. It originally occupied the second spot on the ballot, right behind the ruling United Russia party.

The second spot now remains vacant, with the LDPR, listed as number three, following United Russia.

Yabloko was the only registered party in Russia to run in the election on an openly anti-war platform. The court disqualified it based on a lawsuit filed by the Rodina party. Rodina accused Yabloko of several campaign violations, including copyright infringement and publishing material in support of an organization designated as “extremist” in Russia.

On Monday, the Supreme Court also rejected Yabloko’s appeal and upheld its disqualification. On the day the appeals court handed down its ruling, police detained 85 Yabloko supporters outside the Supreme Court in Moscow.

(max)