Supreme Court removes Yabloko from the ballot ahead of September Duma vote

The Supreme Court of Russia annulled the registration of Yabloko's federal candidate list, removing the only party that opposes the war against Ukraine from the ballot for the parliamentary elections scheduled for 18 to 20 September.

No party had been removed from Duma elections since 1999, and the court ruling means Yabloko will be unable to submit candidate lists for the upcoming vote.

Party response and planned appeal

Yabloko's leadership announced it will appeal the court decision, calling it a politically motivated step. The party said it will not give up despite the ban and intends to wage a legal battle against the ruling.

For decades Yabloko was one of Russia's main liberal opposition forces. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the party came under growing pressure from authorities as new laws passed in 2022 tightened restrictions on criticism of the military and the government.

In the same period many opposition politicians were jailed, prosecuted or left the country. The space for political activity narrowed further, while Yabloko remained among the few officially registered parties that continued to operate within the formal political system.

The ban, issued in the run-up to the September parliamentary elections, prevents voters who support this political option from casting ballots for its candidates and raises broader questions about the conditions under which opposition parties can act in Russia and the degree of political pluralism in the country.

Photo: press material from the event