The special operation is moving in parallel with the elections
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Loading... - Brenda Gregory
- 19 Jul 2022
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As Nezavisimaya Gazeta found out, the parties will not bring the special operation to the fore during the election campaign. Even Yabloko, which previously promised to organize a demonstrative pacifist campaign, actually refused to do so. Parliamentary political structures, as is known, with the approval of the president, have concluded a kind of Donbass consensus, but so far it remains only a background for the elections. Support for a special operation by the same Communist Party, for example, does not prevent local authorities from blocking communist candidates who interfere with them. But media attacks have already begun on its opponents, like Yabloko, too. Experts note that while the elections and the special operation will run in parallel, and then everything will depend on the mood of the voters.
Reports appeared on the Web that Yabloko obligatorily requires its candidates for regional and municipal elections to sign a statement criticizing the special operation. This allegedly already leads to conflicts, for example, in the Krasnodar Territory, where some candidates, they say, categorically refused this, fearing a possible prosecution. Also, a number of Telegram channels indicate that a similar situation is developing in the Urals.
An NG source in Yabloko confirmed that, as before, candidates are being offered a 10-point party memorandum adopted by the congress back in 2019. At the same time, the Yabloko party decided that the document must be signed. The source noted that now this document is supplemented by the demand for peace between Russia and Ukraine, although the special operation itself is not mentioned there.
According to NG, a heated discussion has already flared up in Yabloko's internal communication channels: whether or not to announce the names of those candidates who sign the pacifist document.
The NG party itself stated that there were no such conflicts. Emilia Slabunova, a member of Yabloko's political committee, reminded Nezavisimaya Gazeta that as early as the April congress of the special operation, a negative assessment was given, and a pacifist position was emphasized. Candidates are traditionally required to share the party approach, which is why a political memorandum was drawn up at the time. But Slabunova emphasized that in all regions only the signature under this document is obligatory - and only Moscow made an addition regarding peace with Ukraine. But in the capital, only five candidates refused to be nominated, the rest know which party they are dealing with, she noted. As for reports of some conflicts, then, according to Slabunova, “there are reposts even on the Karelian Telegram channels of this misinformation, which is distributed with the aim of discrediting Yabloko or intimidating potential candidates. For example, she explained, in the Krasnodar Territory, where there will be elections to the Legislative Assembly, there is not even a nomination of candidates, since the local regional department "is in a difficult situation."
As NG established, the parliamentary parties are much more reserved about the topic of the special operation. For example, Mikhail Yemelyanov, a member of the central council of Just Russia - For Truth (SRZP), said that this topic is in the background, although, of course, there are no disagreements in the party about the special operation, everyone supports it. “Everyone understands the regional and local specifics of the campaign, so although the special operation is felt throughout, our campaign candidates do not use it. They can only mention on the Internet or in the media, say, that the party is carrying out humanitarian work with refugees and Ukrainian territories, but in general, the emphasis is on social issues. And even people from the border regions rarely ask questions about foreign policy at meetings, they ask about the regional and local agenda,” he said.
Aleksey Didenko, the first deputy head of the central apparatus of the LDPR, told NG: “Our party advocated a special operation long before it began, this position runs like a red thread through all our documents, we are in favor of a tough solution to all foreign policy problems, especially in the direction of the West. The same topic is the main one in Russia, so it should be discussed at federal, regional, and municipal elections.” Nevertheless, in the propaganda work of the Liberal Democratic Party, the special operation topic does not dominate at all, they are well aware that the priority for it is given to both the authorities and United Russia, and opposition political structures in the elections, a critical position is more beneficial, however, under the terms of the Donbass consensus, the special operation was withdrawn from this zone .
It should be noted that since the beginning of the campaign, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation has repeatedly emphasized that it is in the Donbass consensus (see "NG" from 17.07.22). At the same time, the leftists declared that they would mainly raise the problems of territories and social policy at regional and local elections. Apparently, for this position, the communists on the ground and arrives. For example, Alexander Ivachev, the leader of the Sverdlovsk Communist Party of the Russian Federation, who, after being nominated as a candidate for governor, himself was subjected to black PR-style media attacks, now announced the removal of party candidates to the Asbest City Duma from the elections - allegedly for forging the signature of the authorized Communist Party on materials for nomination. Recall that in 2017 the Communist Party won the elections to the City Duma, receiving 11 out of 21 seats. Now, one of the then winners, who later became the head of the City Duma, but was deprived of his mandate by the efforts of the EP, the candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Andrei Samarin, suddenly burned down two trucks belonging to him. And in the Primorsky Territory, the electoral committee is trying to prevent the promising communist Roman Chmykhalo from running in the city duma elections in accordance with the law on dual citizenship, which he has Ukrainian. This is how the theme of the special operation can also be reflected in the course of the campaign. Read More…
