Kremlin has no comment on refusal to register opposition party for election in Novosibirsk

The Kremlin does not comment on refusal to register the opposition Parnas party for election in the Novosibirsk Region, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday.

"You should ask for a comment from the authority that refused to register [Parnas party]," Peskov said. "The reasons for refusal should have been explained to them [representatives of the Parnas party]. We do not deal with registration [of parties for elections]," the spokesman added.
On July 27, the Novosibirsk regional election commission refused to register the Parnas party (part of Democratic Coalition) for election of deputies to regional legislative assembly. "Our decision made today was justified both from material and procedural point of view. I have always called for staying in the legal framework. The party has an opportunity to appeal the decision in higher election commission or regional court," head of Novosibirsk election commission Yury Petukhov said.

Only 10,340 signatures supporting the Parnas party were recognized as valid while the minimum number of signatures required for registration stands at 10,657. The session of the working group checking the validity of signatures supporting Parnars lasted for 10 hours.

Representatives of the party said they do not agree with the decision made by Novosibirsk regional election commission and will appeal it in Central Election Commission.

Ivan Zhdanov, a member of the regional branch of the Parnas party, filed a complaint about falsification of election documents by a member of the Novosibirsk regional election commission. Press service of Russian Interior Ministry’s department in the Novosibirsk Region told TASS that the police are working on Zhdanov’s complaint. "A check is being carried out, necessary materials will be collected and handed to the Investigative Committee for a decision," the press service said.