Anapa quest

The victory of the United Russia Sergey Sergeyev in the early elections of the mayor of Anapa was predictable on March 24: the regional power tried to be not a real election campaign in the city. Nevertheless, dozens of observers-volunteers from other cities arrived here. Why did they decide to go, how they got and what they saw - I found out The New Times

In several polling stations were not without a fight	The coordinator of the Rostov branch of the "observer citizen" Alena Rudko explains to the volunteers their duties

“Already the second bus, which we found to bring observers from Taganrog, stopped at the DPS post. They torn the numbers with a crowbar, ”says Alena Rudko, an energetic brown -haired man with a command voice and a camping backpack behind her back,” says the Rostov coordinator.

March 22. Almost midnight in Rostov. Sixteen observers gathered to go to the mayor’s elections to Anapa are standing on Lenin Square under the leader’s monument. They reason whether they will be detained for an unauthorized rally, and they decide how it is better for them to get to Anapa. They agree to go by train, which leaves from Rostov at 00.45. “Whoever goes is to move in this direction. They will not stop the train, ”Rudko commands.

A decisive step in the indicated direction is taken by three people, and the group is divided into two unequal parts. People silently and gloomily look at each other. 20 minutes remain before the departure of the train. Suddenly, another person timidly joins the group of three, then another, and then the crowd breaks and runs to the taxi parking. Now there are only twelve - four remained in the square.

Patriotism test

On the way to the station, a computer -based Alexander, a low fair -haired guy of 27 years old, says that this is his third participation in the elections as an observer. For the first time, he went to the district police officer as a bunch of his native Krasny farm, the Bagaevsky district of the Rostov region in December 2011 (during the elections to the State Duma). “He forced the commission to swallow valerian, even offered a bribe. I won’t tell you anymore, I'm afraid. I heard that they adopted a law according to which, if you say something anti-government, you are in prison for extremism, ”he explains confidently. Alexander - cerebral palsy*, he breaks himself a “path in life” and “lives in constant fear”, because “any person on his path laid with such difficulty can come.” Sasha believes that the Commonwealth “like Masons” is in power, and explains: “This is such an incubator of billionaires.”

A fair -haired young girl Lena is escorted by a father, an elderly man with glasses, with a briefcase. “Sympathetic,” the volunteers laugh. After six months ago during the city holiday, Elena for the company with the leader of the Rostov Organizing Committee of Solidarity Boris Baty held three hours in the police department, the dad is always trying to be close to his daughter.

Observers get to the station ten minutes before the train departure. First, one, and then the second cashier refuse to sell tickets - a stack of twelve passports is transferred from one cash register to another. The loudspeaker is declared landing. One observer is stopped to verify documents, since a police dog sat next to his bag. Everyone begins to worry that he was thrown by drugs.

“This is some kind of test ...” Rudko throws in an annoyance. "For patriotism!" - The rest pick up.

“Nothing sensible from this will work out,” Sasha suddenly says, and, limping, leaves.

Volunteers, finally receiving train tickets, leave for Anapa without Sasha. There are already eleven of them.

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We always have: as elections, for exactly a week they either paint the porch, or they are repaired by the road

" Cossacks, liberals, nationalballs

On March 23, observers are brought to the hotel, which is located in the village of Sukko, 16 kilometers from Anapa. The headquarters of observation of falsifications in the elections here, in the hotel lobby, organized the Yabloko party: two shifted tables, four computers with a practically non -working Internet. Observers from Taganrog, as well as Sochi and other cities of the Krasnodar Territory, also gathered here - about a hundred people.

At dinner, stormy discussions are underway.

“By the views, I am a monarchist, I support the dictatorship, and went to the observers, because everywhere I need a law and order,” explains Grigory Ugkurov, a 50-year-old man in camouflage, explains the Wahmister of the Cossack army. "We were settled in one room, how we will not kill each other yet?" - his opponent, a member of "Solidarity" Viktor Chirikov, a tall man with glasses, is surprised.

At the next table is another observer, also a Victor, a taciturn chorey man in a leather jacket. He says that for the first time in the elections. The activist heads the Rostov branch of the initiative group “For responsible power”, whose members dream of ensuring that voters bring their assessment of the previous board to the ballot in the presidential election.

“If people, for example, wrote in ballots that Putin should be executed - they would have executed,” Victor says confidently, and his wife Natalya, pretty, very young, nods his head in consent. "And who would execute the verdict?" ““ The one who is supposed to. ” “You cannot execute,” someone is indignant at the next table. “Yes, probably we will not execute,” the married couple easily changes the decision.

Margos Tiramatsuyan, a gray -haired man with an intelligent appearance, proves to his neighbor that the observer must calmly record all the violations and then go to court with it. But to suppress the stuffing, rushing breasts on the ballot box, is not his business. A discussion unfolds on the topic that is more effective and legal: to prevent the election or fix it.

Valeria, a dark -haired middle -aged woman, the former National Bolshevicle, and now a member of another Russia, tells that only the revolution with the redistribution of natural wealth will save Russia, because this power can stay endlessly, hiring in the event of a riot “any mercenaries”. The activist admits that she likes Udaltsov, but Navalny - no, because he is "only promoting."

“You write in Moscow that nothing happens in the regions, and everything is just the opposite,” says Alena Rudko to correspondent The New Times. The activist says that she tried to draw the public attention to the elections in Anapa, calling Dmitry Bykov, who was then in Rostov with a poetic tour. Bykov answered her that he could not go to Anapa, but tours on literary matters. "And who is the bull?" -asks the observer from the neighboring table. “Well, you flashed. This is a member of the coordination council of the opposition, a writer, ”Rudko laments. “Well, them,” a shameful volunteer shrugs.

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Bulletin's bookmark - a policeman: "Well, you, bro, leave me alone, well, I ran away from you." - "Yes, you wait even a minute, what, will I run after you?"

» When the entrance is painted

By the evening, a seven -time storm broke out, not to approach the sea - blowing it off. “A protest wave is growing,” the volunteers joke.

Anapa and the village of Sukko in the offseason are low -haired, passers -by met on the street do not know that tomorrow they choose mayor. Observers say that the authorities counted on the non -information of citizens - with a low turnout, it is easier to falsify the vote. The New Times correspondent is still finding one person who knows that tomorrow is the election. “The entrance began to paint. We always have: as elections, for exactly a week they are stained with the porch, or they repairs the road, ”says Ilya School DJ. The guy complains that Sergey Sergeyev, a candidate from United Russia and the temporarily acting mayor, sent them “as a parcel”.

Not all local ones are kindly related to observers. “Why did you come here from other cities here? We will choose the right mayor for ourselves. Anapa needs tourists to tell how good it is, ”explains Evgeny, director of a local sports club, where a voting site is being prepared. Two Eugene satellites assure that Anapa is a clean city, and Moscow is dirty, so it’s not Moscow to indicate Anapa how to live.

Volunteer Viktor Chirikov invites the group of observers in the tour of the dachas of the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory Alexander Tkachev and the ex-Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdyukov. On the rear glass of his “six” sticker “Putin, leave”. And when they call him to his mobile phone, Chirikov, instead of “Hello”, replies: “The State Department is listening!” Having stopped the car on the pass near the bay “Snake Lake”, Victor explains and shows: “The name of the bay has come from the fact that a special type of snake lives here. Here is a section of Serdyukov. At the shore-a yacht club. The yellow building is a cottage. And here, through the bay, there is a section of the relict forest, which Tkachev fenced off with a fence with lanterns. ”

Observers descend from the mountain, clinging to juniper bushes. Under the Tkachev fence, Victor, rejoicing as a child, sets fire to firecrackers. Cotton is heard - and shouting "We will come again!" Everyone scatters.

They return to the hotel by night. Here, someone else is listening to a three-hour lecture on work at polling stations. A quarrel flashes at the headquarters: someone is not allowed to give a comment to the Rain TV channel.

| | | --- | | | This accident, according to observers, was tuned so as not to let them in the opening of polling stations

Pass

March 24. Election day. At half past over the morning, the hotel wakes up from screams: "The cops blocked the road to Anapa!" A rumor is rushing that an accident had occurred on the highway - it brought a wagon with building materials. Activists - a forty man - are confusedly pushed on the ground floor of the hotel, chewing sandwiches with a doctoral sausage and cheese. During the night, the temperature dropped to minus two, a snowstorm beats in the windows.

In the region of seven in the morning, volunteers are seated on cars. By eight, they should be in time for sites, otherwise the urns will be sealed without them and it will not be possible to prevent expected stuffing of the ballots.

Valery, a member of the “Other Russia”, looking at the snowstorm, says that he will not go anywhere. The group loses another fighter.

The police cordon stands almost immediately on the road from Sukko. Somewhere behind them-a truck scattering building materials. Observers recall that in Sukko there is no DPS post and a transit road, which means that police vehicles were adjusted here in advance. There are no traces of braking of the truck. Volunteers decide that we must go to the city on foot. When they bypass Cordon, they will be met by cars sent from the city.

“There is no sense in this, guys. Everything is organized so that there is more noise and less use, ”the tall dense man Vasily is indignant. He says that he will not go through the pass. Another volunteer becomes less.

On the glass of a police car, a local resident is a woman - a woman of about fifty, in a down jacket and a fur hat. “Antichrist, what are you doing with Russia-Mother? - she laments, turning to a young policeman who sits in the front seat, pursing her lips. - Yes, let your elections fall through! I need to go to church for confession! As they were disenfranchised slaves, and we will die! "

Observers go behind the cordon and rise along the road to the mountain, many in light sneakers, girls-in boots with heels, all without hats, someone will even wrap in a blanket. The blizzard does not stop. "There will be no falsifications in Anapa!" - Shout in the group. "Russia will be free!" - The rest pick up. Already almost eight in the morning, and somewhere the first polling station has opened.

Observers go through the pass to the polling stations

Well, what are you, bro?

Candidate from United Russia Sergey Sergeyev won the election, gaining almost 84% of the vote. His nearest rivals, the candidate from the Yabloko party, Alexei Egorov and the Communist Party candidate Viktor Tyurin scored about 4% of the vote each. Over the day, observers recorded violations of at least 10 of 68 sites. At night, when counting the votes in one section, the observer Alexander Garkushin was beaten. Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin sent a telegram to the head of the CEC Vladimir Churov, in which he asked to recognize the elections invalid. At the time of delivery of the numbers, there was no answer from the CEC.

The New Times correspondent had to personally observe many dubious episodes. But it is best, perhaps, what happened in Anapa on March 24 describes the following story.

In the middle of the day, in the section No. 02-25 in the very center of Anapa, the observers detained the stuffingman who sprinkled a pack of ballots into the urn, and the partner who covered his partner, a tall man of strong physique in a tracksuit and a raspberry hat. The second tried to escape, a brawl began in the doorway, but the man managed to jump out into the street.

Bulletin stuffing (left) threatens the observer Viktor Chirikov

After several comments from the angry observers, Major Andrei Melnikov, responsible for the order on the site, ordered one of his subordinates to check the documents of the run -out person, saying a reservation: “Only show his passport to outsiders.” The offender and the policeman ran 300 meters. Out of breath, stopped. The man in a hat began to pull plaintively: "Well, you, bro, leave me alone, well, I ran away from you." A policeman in response, also an imploring tone: "Are you at least a minute, what, will I run after you?" “Well, they are already being removed,” the man in the hat noticed the correspondent of The New Times and suddenly broke off. "Do not worry, now we will delay!" - the policeman assured. And he trotted after the offender - through a huge plowed field, to where the residential quarters of the city were visible in the distance.

And an hour later, from observers from other sites, messages began to come to the fact that a person in a raspberry hat again walks around the plots.

Photos: Nikolai Hizhnyak