Krasnodar, 18 September – Yug Times. Aleksandr Topalov, Director of the Centre for Political Research and Technologies, comments on the municipal election held on September 9.
Q.: On September 9, deputies of local councils and town and village heads were elected in the Krasnodar region. How would you assess the course of the election and its results? Did you register any violations and voters’ complaints?
A.: The latest municipal election can be called an unprecedented campaign, because for the first time not a single complaint was registered – neither during the election nor in the Internet. There are a number of opposition [Internet] resources supported by Western sponsors that were always keen to find some ‘violations’, that quite often appeared to be made-up stories. But this time the process was so much transparent that even these resources did not produce a single complaint. I consider it the right answer to any questions about this election. The results showed the parties that were really backed by the Kuban people. Having got 81.4%, the United Russia party surpassed all other political alliances and independent candidates.
The attendance of 56%, or 370,000 voters, was a good figure, the more so since it was the best result in the Southern Federal District and one of the highest nationwide. And it must be taken into account that municipal elections traditionally draw less attention than regional or national ones. These results proved high level of preparedness of the regional executive power and growth of civil consciousness of the inhabitants of the Kuban region.
Attendance is also an indicator of trust and legitimacy. The society feels well Governor [Kondratiev’s] course aimed at gradual rejuvenation and renewal of his team at the cost of [highly skilled] professionals.
Currently, there are no ‘tectonic shifts’ in the region’s social and political space – but it does not mean that they may not occur in the future. However, now the situation is developing according to a predictable scenario. At the national background, Kuban remains a stronghold of quietness.
Follow our news on Facebook
За всеми важными новостями следите в MAX, Telegram, во «ВКонтакте», «Одноклассниках», YouTube и на Rutube
