Grigory Yavlinsky

Grigory Alexeyevich Yavlinsky (Russian:Григо́рий Алексе́евич Явли́нский; Ukrainian:Григорій Олексійович Явлінський; born 10 April 1952) is a Russian economist and politician. He is best known as the author of the 500 Days Programme, a plan for the transition of the USSR to a free-market economy, and for his leadership of the social-liberal Yabloko party. He ran twice for Russia's presidency – in 1996, against Boris Yeltsin, finishing fourth with 7.3% of the vote; and in 2000, against Vladimir Putin, finishing third with 5.8%. He did not run in 2004 or 2008, after his party failed to cross the 5% threshold in the 2003 Duma elections. In 2012 presidential election he was prevented from running for president by Russian authorities, despite collecting 2 million signatures of Russian citizens for his candidacy, as was demanded by law. Yavlinsky is Yabloko party's nominee for President of Russia in 2018 presidential election. Yavlinsky holds PhD in economics from Central Economic Mathematical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Doctoral dissertation: The socio-economic system of Russia and the problem of its modernization. He is a professor in the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Yavlinsky speaks Russian, Ukrainian and English.