Grigory Yavlinsky first appeared on the Russian political stage in the early 1990s as an advocate for market reforms in what was then the Soviet Union. Following the Soviet breakup, the politician co-founded Yabloko ('Apple'). This is the candidate's fourth time running for president.
Critical of what he has called "hidden Stalinism" as well as "wild capitalism bordering on feudalism," Yavlinsky proposes reforming Russia's economic system to ensure greater respect for private property by the state. At the same time, he supports measures designed to limit the concentration of wealth, and to keep private economic actors and the business community apace with any state plans in the economic sphere. With a platform which concentrates heavily on economic policy, Yavlinsky's main stated campaign promise is to turn Russia into Europe's strongest economy.
In foreign policy, Yavlinsky's program calls for improving relations with the former Soviet countries, and with the West, through a program of gradually aligning Moscow's policies with those of Europe. Yavlinsky has spoken out in favor of another referendum in Crimea, along with discussions with Ukraine and at the UN to determine the peninsula's status.
