The Stage is Set For 2018: Yabloko and LDPR Register Their Candidates for Presidential Elections
Today, the Central Election Commission registered representatives of two presidential candidates: Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Grigory Yavlinsky. The LDPR's leader will have 113 campaign members and 106 in the Yabloko founder's staff. All over Russia, signature collection continues in support of the candidates.
Dmitry Petrov reporting.
For several days now, nearly half the duration of the Holidays Break, starting on Jan 5th, signature collection has been in progress in support of the independent candidates. Here, in downtown Moscow amidst the Christmas Fair and on Nikolskaya St., several groups of the Pobeda volunteer organization are working, greeting locals and visitors, all those looking to support Vladimir Putin. Assuming, of course, that they're his supporters.
Yuliya Rudok, a student of the Saint Petersburg Mining University, made the trip to Moscow to participate.
Yuliya Rudok: "For us, special conditions had been set up, where we can achieve anything if we strive hard enough. All that's needed is work and the desire to become professionals".
Nearby is her colleague from Ulyanovsk, Liudmila Knyazkova: “A man from the Czech Republic saw that we're collecting signatures for Vladimir Vladimirovich. He said, "I fully support your position even though my signature won't help you since I'm Czech. But I trust you and thank you very much."
For Russian citizens, it's much easier. Their signatures are very influential.
Lubov Brazhnikova: "We never had any doubts: he was our only choice. But we were very nervous that he may decide not to run."
Putin, by the way, as an independent candidate, needs to collect 300K signatures in his support. The signature collection campaign stretches from Sakhalin to St. Petersburg.
Candidates from non-parliamentary parties need signatures from 100K Russians. Volunteers from Yabloko's leader Grigory Yavlinsky are working in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, and Nizhniy Novgorod.
Oleg Rodich, Yavlinsky's campaign leader: "People are reacting very positively, they're interested, they know Yavlinsky well. They come to the headquarters every day to provide their signatures".
Aside from support of the Civil Initiative party, Ksenia Sobchak also needs 100K signatures. Today, they were being collected in three million-resident cities and in Kaliningrad.
Active campaigning is also going on in the regions for Boris Titov, a Party of Growth candidate.
Arseniy Artukh, Party of Growth member: "Boris Titov is more popular with the youth and with the small and mid-size business community".
Vladimir Zhirinovsky has no need to collect signatures. He's a candidate of a parliamentary party.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky: "So much experience! Family, kids, grandchildren — one needs to know all of this! Needs to go through all the stages of education An experienced man, decisive, brave, known all over the world! Ask in any country: they know Putin, and I'm in second place, Zhirinovsky!"
Today, the CEC registered representatives of Zhirinovsky and Yavlinsky, as well as gave an explanation about proper operation of foreign observers during the presidential election. Their rights are explained in detail in 22 points.
Ella Pamfilova, CEC Chairwoman: "We're completely open, calm, and friendly cooperating with those who are interested in conducting a professional, serious, objective observation of the election. We're maximally interested in this".
Dmitry Petrov, Pavel Kostrikov, Anna Kolk, Sergey Arsennichev, Daniil Yakimov, Vesti