Feeling of the elbow

The election of the head of the region will be held in the Novosibirsk region in September. Officially, the election campaign has not yet begun, but in the spring the main rivals have already been determined. Two people declared their readiness to run for their readiness. This is Andrei Travnikov - the former mayor of Vologda, appointed by Putin temporarily acting as the governor. And this is the mayor of Novosibirsk Anatoly Lokot, about which it is important to remember that he is not just a mayor. Also - the first secretary of the regional committee of the Communist Party.

And on June 8, at a joint with a trawn briefing, the mayor suddenly announced that he changed his mind:

In favor of Andrei Alexandrovich ...

- The peculiarity of the current political situation in our Novosibirsk region is that on the eve of the announcement of the governor’s elections, the political struggle has already reached an extremely high intensity. Here in Novosibirsk and residents of the region are drawn into a fierce struggle, an uncompromising fight of two opposing camps. The prospect of such an option was clearly manifested when not separate politicians, but the entire regional center and residents of the region are in a state of protracted confrontation, which will lead to the inhibition of development and worsen economic conditions for all Novosibirsk and residents of the region. Unfortunately, we know a lot of such examples in the Russian Federation.

I and Andrei Aleksandrovich clearly understand our responsibility and not accept this development of events. Today we are making a joint political statement. The interaction agreement has been reached. This agreement provides for the preservation of direct elections of the mayor in Novosibirsk, provides for joint projects for economic development. For the sake of this, I made a decision agreed, I emphasize, with the leadership of the Communist Party, to refuse to nominate the governor in favor of Andrei Alexandrovich.

I expect that the response steps in the elections of the mayor of Novosibirsk will be made in a year from the leadership of the Novosibirsk region.

In other words, Anatoly Lokot openly stated that he was bargaining. And they bargained for mutual personal benefit. Travnikov’s serious rival disappears. He even seems to turn into an ally. Lokty for this is promised that direct elections will not be canceled, as it happened, say, in Yekaterinburg. In addition, he is promised a mayor's chair for the next period.

As for the reasoning of Anatoly's elbow about the inappropriateness of "the extremely high intensity of the political struggle, which, moreover, the population is drawn", but in fact, normal elections imply such intensity. Well, or do not exclude, at least. At the same time, few of the usual Novosibirsk managed to notice the "uncompromising fight of two opposing camps." Obviously, the subcutaneous struggle took place. But one can only guess about this - the briefing reporters did not allow questions to ask questions.

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Novosibirsk politician Arkady Yankovsky - deputy of the second convocation of the State Duma. In 1995, he just beat his main opponent Anatoly Lokta. Now Yankovsky has organized a permanent platform in the city to discuss political and economic problems - an independent discussion club. According to Yankovsky, for experts who followed the behavior of officials in power structures, the elimination of the elbow to go to the governor's elections was not a big surprise:

He clearly spoke about the weakness of Putin's personnel decision

- This decision has matured in the last weeks. The signals coming from Moscow indicated that this is quite likely. For the presidential administration, the situation in Novosibirsk began to seem uncontrollable. There was a risk of losing the protege Putin Travnikov. Apparently, the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, Sergei Kiriyenko, could not allow an incident. And I didn't want to get a bit for it. Pressure measures were taken, primarily at the Communist Party. Meanwhile, the Communist Party at this point has actually started a campaign in Novosibirsk. Serious measures were taken to eliminate the chief assistant of the elbow - the policy of Viktor Tolokonsky influential in the region ( previously held the positions of the mayor of Novosibirsk, the governor of the Novosibirsk region, the envoy to the Siberian Federal District, the Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. - SR ). With his departure, the elbow has become much smaller. Apparently, having weighed everything, Gennady Zyuganov gave the go -ahead.

- What do you mean when you are talking about eliminating Tolokonsky?

- Viktor Alexandrovich actively led the campaign for several weeks. He explicitly expressed relatively weakness of Putin’s personnel decision in Novosibirsk.

It was a clear demarche. Remaining a member of the ruling party - United Russia, the former governor and envoy of the president allowed himself to act "against the wool." He made a bet on the current mayor. And I always said that the elbow, rather, looks like an adjutant under Tolokonsky. Viktor Alexandrovich contributed to the victory of his protege with all his power. He worked in the Novosibirsk region as a governor for 11 years. He has a connection. And he had what to protect here, what position. But, putting it on the elbow, he risked very much. Nevertheless, as I know, Tolokonsky contributed to the fundament of funds to the headquarters of Anatoly Lokta. Already talked with businessmen. All of them popularly laid out that, guys, see for ourselves, there will be a big redistribution if we give it all now. In general, he was convincing. People were ready to give money.

It is known that the deputy flew to Viktor Alexandrovich. Head of the Department of Internal Policy of the Presidential Administration Alexander Kharichev . The day after their meeting, Tolokonsky wrote a statement about leaving the post of chief mayor adviser.

- And this is not the only position that he lost.

- Yes. Soon Tolokonsky was removed from the post in the Russian Railways. (He was nominated as a member of the board of directors of Russian Railways). He was fired from the Academy of Public Service.

Banner with a portrait of the governor Andrei Travnikov in Novosibirsk

- In addition, the other day, Viktor Tolokonsky was summoned for interrogation , however, as a witness, to the Krasnoyarsk Investigative Committee, in connection with the investigation of the case of major embezzlement. And this, apparently, is a kind of signal to him. But back to the briefing of Anatoly's elbow. What is the absence of the mayor now a pre -election campaign?

The worst mayor in my memory

- She actually won't. Everything will be reduced to a completely formal procedure. In fact, there will be a reassignment of the mayor of Vologda sent to us. Andrei Travnikov, the handsome did not find mutual understanding with local elites. Now the performance will be played. They will find someone from the LDPR. They will put a couple more fake candidates. And everything will pass as it takes place everywhere in modern Russia.

- If it had not happened what happened, and the elbow and herbalists participated in the elections, did the current mayor have real chances of victory?

- He was a serious competitor. Only not by virtue of their qualities, but because the herbalists are an alien. With elites, this was immediately perceived as a slap in the face.

- That is, at least we could talk about the second round?

- Yes! And at the same time it was said that in case of victory, Viktor Tolokonsky would become the chairman of the regional government. The charter of the Novosibirsk region allows this. In fact, it was a strong move, because the elbow as a business executive did not very successfully show himself, let's say directly. Maybe this is the worst mayor in my memory.

- You are saying that in fact an officially declared campaign has already begun. What was this expressed?

- in numerous statements by the mayor. On his trips in the region. This was expressed in billboards. That is, under the guise of social advertising, the elbow worked for his image. The promotion has already gone completely unambiguous. He generally pays more attention to PR. At one time he became famous for posters with Stalin . His element is some kind of populist statements. But still, they expect something else from the mayor. The city in it is disappointed as in the business executive.

- Be that as it may, now, due to the fact that it is actually a deal, the elbow will become the mayor again in a year? Or is it impossible to talk about it with confidence?

“I would say that this is not guaranteed to him at all.” What you called the deal does not at all promise a carefree political life. Today there is an agreement, and a year later, the team of Travnikov, having established himself in power, may want to have a mayor’s post in his hands, ”says Arkady Yankovsky .

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  Lilya Palvelieva

  Correspondent of the Moscow Bureau of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Cooperates with RS since 1989. The author and leading headings about the Russian language "keyword".

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