The stubborn majority

The statement of Vladimir Putin that Sergei Sobyanin, according to all sociological surveys, is the leader in the election of the Moscow Mayor with a rating of about 60 percent, does not violate any laws and is a simple statement of fact. This was announced to Interfax by presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. According to him, the head of state simply answered the questions asked to him.

“In this case, we can hardly talk about any violations, since these were answers to questions and statement of realities,” the agency quotes the words of Peskov.

Putin's statement was made during a joint interview with the first channel and Associated Press. “Today, however, for all sociological surveys, the acting mayor of Moscow Sergey Semenovich Sobyanin is the leader, I don’t remember how much, for 60 percent, in my opinion. Moreover, such numbers give research on a variety of independent sociologists - I think that they are objective, not even what I think, I don’t doubt it,” Putin said. At the same time, he emphasized that the federal government would work with any future mayor of Moscow, but several times unpleasantly responded about the main opponent of Sobyanin in the elections of Alexei Navalny.

He stated that Navalny saddled a very fashionable topic of the fight against corruption, but this is just a way to win glasses, and not a true desire to solve problems. Putin also added that "wherever this master appears, there is always some kind of problem behind him."

At the same time, the president expressed confidence that the elections of all levels of September 8 in Russia will be held honestly. When asked about politically motivated arrests, including iconic figures that can influence the course of election campaigns, Putin answered bewilderedly, saying that he did not understand what arrests were in question.

Putin's interview was published on September 4. At the same time, the last day, when the publication of data from sociological studies on the election was allowed, was September 2. In this regard, representatives of the Communist Party accused Putin of violating the law and filed a complaint against him in the CEC and the Prosecutor General.

On September 8, Russia will take place in Russia, during which the elections of the heads of several Russian regions and mayors of dozens of cities, including the heads of Moscow and Yekaterinburg, as well as the elections of deputies of the regional and municipal level, will be held.

Aleksey Navalny, who was nominated by the RPR-Parnas party, recognized by the coordination council of the opposition as a unified opposition candidate, on July 18, a few days after the start of the election campaign, was sentenced to five years of a general regime in the Ciriystead Case in the Kirovles company. During the court hearings, he repeatedly emphasized that the case is politically motivated. The innocence of Navalny and the second person involved in the case of Pyotr Officerov was also stated by the majority of witnesses who acted in court, including the governor of the Kirov region Nikita Belykh. In the evening of the same day in the center of Moscow, a thousands of unauthorized protest rally took place. On July 19, Navalny and officers were released on a subscription about the recognition before the sentence in the Kirovles case. After that, Navalny announced that he would continue the election campaign in the elections of the Moscow Mayor.