St. Petersburg election commission denies Yabloko registration for city legislature race

Meduza reports that St. Petersburg's election commission has denied registration for Yabloko party candidates in the city's legislative assembly race, citing a paperwork error—the party's authorized representative lacked authority to sign a required financial report. Yabloko disputes the decision, arguing the power of attorney language permitted the submission. The commission approved candidates from three other parties. According to Meduza's sources, the denial reflects broader pressure on Yabloko ahead of the State Duma elections: in December, party leader Nikolai Rybakov was fined for alleged extremist symbols, and in June, deputy chairman Maxim Kruglov was sentenced to seven years on charges of spreading misinformation about the Russian army.

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