User:SecretName101/sandbox/Grigory Yavlinsky presidential campaign, 1996

On January 27, in his speech officially accepting Yabloko's nomination, Yavlinsky included overtures to Lebed. Yavlinsky stated discussions about forming a coalition were underway with both Yegor Gaidar's party Democratic Choice of Russia and Lebed's party Congress of Russian Communities. At the time, Sergei Kovalev, a former Yeltsin ally who had recently sided as a strong critic of the president, remarked that Yavlkinsky's proposal for a coalition with Congress of Russian Communities was a risky proposition.

In mid-march Yavlinsky delivered what was, up to that point, the most strongly anti-communist speech of his campaign. Yavilinsky stated that a communist victory would threaten Russian's rights to practice free speech and own property. He quoted the communists own program, which stated "The aim of the Russian Communist party is the Communist future of the whole of mankind." Yavlinsky warned, "If the Communists come to power, things will only get worse" He predicted that Zhirinosky would withdraw from the race before the election, benefiting the two frontrunners. He predict that if no other major changes occurred, Zyuganov was going to win the election. Yavlinsky promised to withdraw his candidacy if another qualified candidate entered the race. He mentioned Boris Nemtsov, who had already declined to run, as one individual he'd step aside for.

At the beginning of April, a committee was formed by a number of reformist leaders to support, and unify around, Yavlinsky's candidacy. The committee was formed by Yelena Bonner (wife of Andrei Sakharov), Sergei Kovalev, Ella Pamfilova and Arkady Murashev. They supported Yavilnsky as offering an alternative to Yeltsin, and proclaimed Yavlinsky's to have the best chance at defeating Zyuganov.

Yavlinksy occupied the far-right of the Russian political spectrum. His ideology most strongly appealed to Russia's population of young intellectuals.

Yavlinsky was strongly against the military conflict in Chechnya. This aspect of his platform appealed strongly to many democratic voters.