Vladimir Putin in Khakassia in 2010. Analysts argue that his invasion of Ukraine reduced his chances of winning in the region. Photo: Alexei Druzhinin/AFP via Getty Images
Vladimir Putin's party faces a fight to reclaim one of the few regions in Russia it doesn't control after its candidate in next week's local elections quit the party after a poll showed that he will lose.
According to Russian opposition media, the Kremlin, unable to collect ballots in the remote region of Khakassia in southern Siberia, is now trying to completely cancel the gubernatorial election.
Analysts say the Kremlin's failure to organize elections has shown that its messages have not reached us, and the war in Ukraine has not been as popular as they had hoped.
«This is an indicator of real sentiment in the outback,» Abbas said Gallyamov, former Kremlin speechwriter and politician. commentator now living in Israel.
The Kremlin has near-iron control over politics in Russia and dominates every level, from the national parliament to local assemblies, with a few exceptions.
One of the most striking of them is the statement of Valentin Konovalov. governorship of Khakassia, a sparsely populated region known for its natural beauty. It's a five-hour flight from Moscow.
Valentin Konovalov of the Russian Communist Party has controlled Khakassia since 2018. Photo: Planetpix/Alamy Stock Photo
A 35-year-old member of the Russian Communist Party, who considers Vladimir Lenin his political hero, became governor of Khakassia in 2018 amid public dissatisfaction with the Kremlin's increase in the retirement age.
The Kremlin tried to undermine Mr. Konovalov's 2018 victory by repeatedly canceling the second round of voting until it decided to relent and instead avenge the humiliation in this year's regional elections.
Mr. Gallyamov said Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin's campaign strategist, first used the Kremlin's propaganda machine to discredit Mr. Konovalov and then parachuted Sergei Sokol, a «war hero» Russian MP, as United Russia's candidate.
But this plan failed, he said, because the Kremlin had to win the election fairly, since it does not control the main administrative resources in Khakassia, and Mr. Sokol was a weak candidate, because he was too obvious «Moscow's candidate», so people can digest it.
«As election day approached, it became increasingly clear that Sokol would lose,» Mr. Gallyamov said.
This assessment was supported by pro-government Russian media, with RBC reporting that secret opinion polls showed that Mr. Gallyamov Sokol would embarrass the Kremlin.
Local elections include Russian-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine such as Donetsk. Photo: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko
So, a week before the vote, Mr. Sokol decided to step down and on Saturday posted a message on Telegram from the hospital saying he was too ill to stand on his feet.
“Being governor is serious and responsible business. responsible work and you can't be idle for a day,» he said.
Mr. Sokol built his campaign around supporting Putin's war in Ukraine after serving in the Kaskad VIP battalion in the occupied Donbass It was created to allow politicians to pose in uniform miles behind the front lines and fly drones rather than defend trenches.
Meduza, a Russian opposition website, said that because his electoral plan is ruined, the Kremlin now wanted to cancel the gubernatorial election in Khakassia.
He quoted sources saying officials had been sent from Moscow to uncover alleged vote-rigging and put pressure on all candidates to withdraw from participation, which allowed the Kremlin to appoint the governor. .
Sokol has become a black swan, but we will deal with this,» a source close to the presidential administration said.
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