On December 7, Open Russia will host a teleconference with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who will discuss the recent municipal elections in St. Petersburg and his expectations for the 2016 parliamentary elections. This teleconference will launch Open Russia’s monthly series on current events around Russia.
The 2014 municipal elections in St. Petersburg, in which pro-Kremlin United Russia party received 80 percent of the seats, took place with unprecedented violations. Indeed, observers from Golos, an independent election watchdog, reported a “total distortion of the will of the voters” of St. Petersburg. Under such conditions, the question arises: is it worth voting, collecting signatures, campaigning, organizing observers—or must one boycott?
These and other issues related to the electoral process in Russia will be discussed during the live teleconference with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of Open Russia movement. During the two-hour conversation he will share his views on the September 2014 municipal elections and the upcoming 2016 Duma elections. This teleconference will launch Open Russia’s monthly series on current events around Russia.
A live webcast of the meeting will be available on openrussia.org from 6.00 to 8.00 am EST (14.00–16.00 local time).
