Deputy Vishnevsky abandoned Yabloko for his own campaign to the State Duma?
In the fall, elections to the Legislative Assembly will take place in St. Petersburg. Political parties began active preparations for them, holding various political events. However, not all parties approach the election process in a state of full “combat readiness.” In particular, Yabloko has many problems before the elections, writes the publication “On the eve».
The regional branch of Yabloko in St. Petersburg does not actually exist due to the unfinished re-registration of members announced by the federal bureau of the party at the end of 2020. Yabloko does not have a formed list of candidates for nomination to the Legislative Assembly and the State Duma. Meanwhile, there are only a few months left before the elections. This increases the risk of nominating weak candidates and increases the chances of political miscalculations and other problems. Disorganization could affect the staff shortage. This is evidenced by the inclusion of Alexander Kobrinsky in the temporary working group for preparing proposals for the party’s participation in election campaigns.
He left Yabloko in November 2020 after the publication of a compromising article in the press by the Kholod publication, in which journalists told how Kobrinsky allegedly entered into intimate relationships with students while he was a teacher at the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen. Subsequently, members of Yabloko I spentand an independent investigation, during which the students, under their own names, confirmed the previously stated facts. Inviting Kobrinsky back to the party looks like a strange move before the elections given his reputation, Nakanune believes.
The work of Yabloko in the media field is also unnoticed; there are practically no initiatives coming from the party. Even A Just Russia is ahead of Yabloko in this regard. The ranks of the party are thinning, as eloquently evidenced by transition Mikhail Amosov from Yabloko to A Just Russia at the end of May 2021.
Against the backdrop of the crisis in the regional office, the lack of assistance from Legislative Assembly deputy Boris Vishnevsky to the party stands out, although he should lead candidates from Yabloko in the parliamentary elections. The reason for this may be Vishnevsky’s concern for his own political career - the deputy at the end of May announced that he was running for the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Vishnevsky's prospects for being elected at the federal level are rather vague: he is not a federal-level politician. His work is local in nature (city protection activities, budget disputes, etc.), the deputy did not stand out for “federal-wide initiatives.” Vishnevsky’s reputation is also not ideal: the media reported that the parliamentarian works in conjunction with the scandalous Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Vyacheslav Makarov, braking work of developers in St. Petersburg. His support for the structures of blogger Alexei Navalny can also play against Vishnevsky.
Summarizing the above, there is a high probability that after the elections there will not be a single Yabloko member left in the city Legislative Assembly. Political uncertainty, reputational nuances of some party members, as well as approval of the work of Navalny’s structures may have an impact.
English version :: Read in English Deputy Vishnevsky abandoned Yabloko for his own campaign to the State Duma?