Yabloko challenges Supreme Court decision to bar it from Duma elections
Yabloko has appealed a Supreme Court ruling that removed it from the State Duma ballot, calling the accusations against it fictitious.
Russia's Yabloko party has formally appealed a Supreme Court ruling that struck its candidate list from the ballot for next month's State Duma elections. Party leader Nikolai Rybakov confirmed the appeal on Friday, vowing to contest the decision through every available legal channel.
The Supreme Court annulled Yabloko's registration on August 10, following a lawsuit filed by the pro-Kremlin Motherland party. The suit alleged copyright infringement, excessive campaign spending, and accused Yabloko of unlawfully calling for violations of Russia's territorial integrity through its stance on Ukraine.
Speaking outside the court, Rybakov dismissed the allegations as "fictitious" and expressed confidence that the party would ultimately appear on the ballot. "We have a Supreme Court, we have a Constitutional Court, and we will prove that the truth is on our side," he said.
Yabloko, whose name means "apple" in Russian, is the only registered opposition party to have consistently opposed Moscow's military action in Ukraine, campaigning on platforms of ceasefire, diplomacy, and peace. The Central Election Commission had initially approved Yabloko's participation alongside ten other parties last month.