Russian electoral body rejects opposition Yabloko party's candidate list in Putin's hometown

Russia's electoral commission has disqualified the candidate list of Yabloko, the country's only legal opposition party, from the municipal assembly elections in St. Petersburg. The decision bars all 62 of the party's candidates from participating in the September parliamentary elections in a city considered a key electoral base for the liberal movement.

The commission cited Yabloko's failure to submit all necessary documents, specifically mentioning accounting reports, as the reason for the disqualification. The party was informed of this alleged "incorrigible" infraction hours before the official announcement and attempted to appeal to the Central Electoral Commission, but to no avail.

Yabloko has strongly criticized the registration process, labeling it a "criminal instrument to eliminate political opponents." The party warns that such manipulations, if not rectified, could undermine the legitimacy of the upcoming vote. This disqualification follows a pattern where dozens of Yabloko candidates, including its leader, have been barred from running in elections, often due to convictions, fines, or being labeled extremists or foreign agents, frequently for sharing images of Alexei Navalny or criticizing Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin, who has been in power since 1999, officially launched the pro-government campaign two weeks prior under the slogan "Everything for Victory." The exclusion of Yabloko's candidates from the St. Petersburg elections highlights the shrinking space for political opposition within Russia.