"Filippych has always been for honest elections"

Public hearings on the cancellation of the second round of elections of the mayor of Novosibirsk will be held on August 23. The initiators of the changes offer to save millions of rubles, and their opponents are convinced: making such an amendment to the charter of the city will affect the legitimacy of the elections. The opinions of famous Novosibirsk residents are in the Taiga.info survey.

Yakov London, media manager, founder of the NTNE television company, candidate for mayor of Novosibirsk in the 2004 elections

The abolition of the second round is not the main problem. I believe that the abolition of the threshold of turnout is a great evil. This affects the legitimacy of power. Even in the elections in which I took part, their winner Vladimir Filippovich Gorodetsky scored in the second round less than a quarter of the number of all citizens. And it is clear that with a low turnout and without a second round, the authorities will be easier to manipulate in the elections in order to achieve the desired result. Work to reduce the turnout in the elections is now a general trend.

In addition, the second round is an opportunity for the formation of coalitions, when the candidate candidate agrees with the losing candidates. Then people in power will represent the interests of the majority. Elections of two rounds are more democratic. So we chose the governors, so we chose the presidents.

Alexey Bespalikov, member of the Federation Council, former vice-governor of the Novosibirsk region, former vice-mayor of Novosibirsk

I believe that the abolition of the second round of elections is right. Excess waste of money. The whole world is already elected on one round, we are strangled alone. In the second round, no one comes to the polls, literally a few percent of voters comes. As a rule, in the second round, who has more funds from candidates, he gives his voters. There is no representative forum, it turns out. The second round, it seems to me, is not indicative, there are more technology there.

Residents may be mistaken in the choice of a deputy, and nothing terrible, in principle, will happen. There will simply be a bad representation from a certain territory, but this is not fatal.

Alexander Lyulko, Independent Deputy of the City Council of Novosibirsk, Advisor to the Chairman of the SB RAS, head of the regional branch of the Rodina party

The mayor’s election is a fairly serious thing. Residents may be mistaken in choosing, for example, a deputy, and nothing is terrible, in principle, will happen. There will simply be a bad representation from a certain territory, but this is not fatal. But if we choose the wrong mayor, we can be without hot water, without heating, without sewage - this is very serious.

Usually, when the first tour takes place, the vote goes on an emotional level, and in the second round, people do not vote not with their hearts, but with their minds, weighing all the pros and cons. I believe that it would be correct to hold elections in two rounds. So we hold the presidential elections, the governor, and until recently, the mayor of the city was also held. If a person is chosen more than half the [voters], in any case, his legitimacy is much higher than that of a relatively small number of people. When the election is one tour, the mayor can be elected by a person who is not entirely popular.

I will vote [at the session] against this change in the charter, I don’t understand at all who needs it all. I think this is all pushed out by some PR agencies that are going to earn in the elections. From my point of view, Gorodetsky definitely does not need this. I don't think it is beneficial for him. Maybe some kind of PR man’s team inspires the mayor completely different. And the conversations that it will save a lot of money is not quite, to put it mildly, correctly. Firstly, if the candidate wins with a clear advantage, everything goes into one tour, which was supposed earlier. But as for the second round, not so much money, just then there is a risk of losing much more. If we proceed from this, why at all to hold the elections, let's just appoint everyone. As practice shows, it will be more expensive for itself. The population should still control the person who controls.

Vasily Kiselev, Director of the Non-Profit Partnership "Community of Consumers of Energy", former first vice-governor of the Novosibirsk region

My opinion is unequivocal - this is not the case when it is necessary to save. The second round of elections reduces the risk of a bad, poor -quality solution. The election of two rounds, the absolute majority, increases the authority of power. Authority is a very strong intangible asset of power. If you fold everything, you will understand that you, as power, are squandering your asset.

Our mayor is fundamental, not afraid of competition. Yes, and showed during his time that he was well managing the city. He probably does not need the abolition of the second round. But there is also party discipline.

Ivan Indian, the first mayor of Novosibirsk, president of the Club Club, Chairman of the Public Council of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Siberian Federal District

I think this will not happen. This issue should not be dealt with. If we build at least some attempt to democracy, we try to at least in words to carry out this idea, let's be democratic to the end. In the elections, the winner was always revealed the one for which the majority voted, in this case the second round always becomes possible. I think that, first of all, the mayor and, secondly, the deputies of the city council will not be canceled by the second round.

I know less deputies, I have known the mayor for a long time. Our mayor is a principled person, he, as they say, is not afraid of competition. And he showed during his time that he is well managing the city. He probably does not need the abolition of the second round. I did not know that he had already spoken for this, but there is still party discipline. If the indication is given to the top of the second round, then it will be canceled. I know that Filippych, in general, has always been for honest elections, but if there is an indication, then there is already party discipline.

Prepared by Alexey Mazur and Yaroslav Vlasov