Nizhny Novgorod, Sept 21. (dpa/GNA) – Russian anti-war party, Yabloko, has surprisingly managed to win a seat in a regional parliament, despite being largely banned from elections across the country.
The liberal opposition party secured 6.38% of the vote in the Nizhny Novgorod region on the Volga, gaining a seat in the regional Duma on Monday for the first time.
The result caused a stir across Russia because, the party was barred from standing across almost the entire country, after a ruling by the Surpeme Court.
“Peace, freedom and a life without fear, these are values that have resonated in people’s hearts and souls,” said Yabloko’s regional organization in Nizhny Novgorod.
It congratulated its regional chair, Anna Cherepanova, who is known as an opponent of war and an anti-corruption campaigner.
Experts said the party was likely excluded from the national election because, the Kremlin judged it could actually win seats in parliament. Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov, has positioned the party as the only force campaigning for a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine. All other parties support the invasion, which has been ongoing for more than four and a half years.
GN