Russian Supreme Court Bars Yabloko Party From Nationwide Ballot

The Supreme Court of Russia barred the liberal opposition party Yabloko from the nationwide party-list ballot, citing indirect foreign financing and copyright infringements. Despite this ruling, Yabloko is fielding 98 candidates across 42 regions, remaining the only party running on an antiwar platform.

Government pressure has extended to individual candidates. Grigory Grishin, a candidate for the State Duma in Moscow, was detained on charges of displaying extremist symbols. In Udmurtia, regional leader Iya Boronina was barred from running following a copyright dispute over a campaign video initiated by the nationalist party A Just Russia.

Party leader Nikolai I. Rybakov, who was himself disqualified over a post regarding Aleksei A. Navalny, argues the removals are an attempt to suppress genuine support. This claim follows polling by ExtremeScan indicating 18 percent of respondents would have voted for Yabloko had the party remained on the nationwide ballot.