PRESS SERVICE OF THE MOSCOW BRANCH OF THE YABLOKO PARTY June 26, 2007 Press release YABLOKO EXTENDS A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE TO LUZHKOV At yesterday’s meeting of the Regional Council of Moscow YABLOKO, after a heated discussion, a decision was made to support Yuri Luzhkov’s candidacy for mayor in the Moscow City Duma vote expected tomorrow. Commenting on this decision, Sergei Mitrokhin, chairman of Moscow YABLOKO, said that the decision had been extremely difficult, and that Council members had expressed a range of views: from abstaining and voting against to supporting the candidacy. The decisive reasons behind this decision were: *Luzhkov’s obvious support among the majority of Muscovites, including YABLOKO voters. The assumption that any other candidate nominated by the president might prove completely unacceptable. “In recent months, the Mayor of Moscow has made a number of statements indicating that he has heard Moscow YABLOKO’s criticism on several key issues of city policy,” S. Mitrokhin said. In particular, Luzhkov stated that infill development, so-called “adjustments” to protected natural areas, and the cutting down of greenery in Moscow courtyards are unacceptable. * Following the discussion, it was decided to ‘extend a vote of confidence’ to Yu. Luzhkov and to press him to follow through on these statements. * *“Judging by the statements of the current Mayor, he is beginning to realize that the bureaucracy he heads could drive Moscow into a complete dead end. And we are ready to help him prevent that,” S. Mitrokhin noted. *AND THERE IS ONLY ONE EXPLANATION..................... It is simply frightening to imagine how everyone is about to trample all over us now, from our own Maxim Kononenko-Parker to Lebedev.