Russia's election commission removes Yabloko party from State Duma federal ballot

Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Tuesday that the opposition Yabloko party had been removed from the federal ballot for the September elections to the lower chamber of parliament, the State Duma.

The CEC approved a revised ballot after the Supreme Court's decision canceling the registration of Yabloko's federal candidate list took effect the day before.

"The federal list of candidates nominated by Yabloko has been excluded from the ballot," the CEC said, announcing the revised ballot.

The Supreme Court's Monday ruling left unchanged its Aug. 10 decision to grant Rodina political party's lawsuit seeking cancellation of Yabloko's federal list registration.

The ballot will now have 10 parties, the lowest number in the history of elections to the State Duma, according to the CEC.

As many as 13 parties and electoral blocs were on the federal ballot in 1993, 43 in 1995, 26 in 1999, 23 in 2003, 11 in 2007, seven in 2011, and 14 each in 2016 and 2021.

The State Duma elections are scheduled for Sept. 18-20, with voting to last three days.