"I want to see how they will react"

The "apple tree" Daria Besedina went to the Moscow City Duma - and immediately demanded her self -growing. We talked with her

On September 8, Moscow chose a new composition of the City Duma. The system opposition, supported by the “smart vote” of Alexei Navalny, received almost half of the places: candidates from the Communist Party, “Fair Russia” and “Yabloko” went to 20 mandates out of 45. In the eighth district, the representative of Yabloko, Urbanist Daria Besedina, was nominated against it, a member of the Communist Party, former candidate Vadim Kumin (Campaign of Besedina Vyudina, The team of political strategist Maxim Katz). Despite her victory, immediately after the election, Besedin stated that at the first meeting of the Moscow City Duma would raise the question of her self -dissolution. We talked with her.

"We need to raise the question of the dissolution of the Duma"

- When did you realize that you were winning the election?

- We quickly began to receive protocols, because we have the Koibi in the district everywhere. Throughout the evening, we saw that we were going with a small margin. It was very nervous, because we still knew that we were going [with Kumin] nostril to the nostril: we had a strong opponent, on the campaign of which we threw large budgets and resources ( Kumin was informally supported by the Moscow City Hall - approx. Medusa ). We met each new protocol with a little fear that the gap would begin to contract. But oddly enough, it remained. At some point, at about 11 pm we realized that purely mathematically this is an obvious victory.

- Were there attempts to falsify or use the administrative resource on September 8?

-We did not notice any serious problems. Our observers in polling stations did not reveal any serious violations. All that was of small violations that occurred due to the human factor, errors of the commission members. Some people tried to complain about us, apparently related to our opponent, but all this did not matter.

- In fact, the first thing you did after the victory said that you will raise the question of the self -observation of this convocation of the Moscow City Duma. Why?

- Obviously, in many districts there was a huge protest vote. If we look at the results, we will see that the four “apple trees” out of four won. Moreover, my party colleagues - with a completely devastating score. Obviously, in the 30th district the mandate could not be taken, but Roman Uneman also received an amazing result - he did not have enough of several dozen votes to win. In very many districts, not the candidate who approved the city hall was chosen. And it is obvious that if before the elections were admitted candidates who were shot - Ilya Yashin, Julia Galyamin and so on, we would see a completely different composition of the Moscow City Duma.

Obviously, Muscovites wanted to vote for democratic candidates. And in the end, people voted for the Communists from hopelessness, because they did not allow their candidates. Therefore, it is obvious that such a Duma does not meet the desires of Muscovites. She does not express the political views of Muscovites. She expresses the political protest of Muscovites.

And in general, after such elections, when people are planted, the protesters are beaten, and candidates are sent under arrest, cannot be a legitimate Duma. This cannot be. I want to raise the question of self -dissolution to my colleagues - and see how they will react.

“But the majority in the Duma still have mayor's candidates.”

- Yes, for self -development, more than half of the candidates are needed for self -growth.

-So you believe that someone from the mayor will support the dissolution of the Duma?

- I think this is an unlikely scenario. But the question must be posed before them. Let's see who this Duma suits.

"I was considered a safe candidate"

- You are talking about the withdrawn candidates. In your district, Ivan Zhdanov was going to run from the corruption fund, but he was removed. Why didn't they take you off?

- Most likely, I was considered a safe candidate. Not considered a serious opponent.

- Why did you win?

- A combination of factors. Of course, we conducted a colossal campaign that was very laborious - it was necessary to attract the right amount of money, the right amount of people. We had a huge headquarters. Every day, about a hundred people worked in the field. We made a huge number of personal contacts with voters - agitators walked through the streets and apartments. I myself talked with people and did about 100 contacts per day. It was on personal contact that we made in this campaign. And they did a really tremendous work. Therefore, they won. Plus, people in the district were ready to elect a candidate like me - a democratic candidate.

- Without a “smart vote” could you win?

- If the “smart vote” was for another candidate, it was really likely that we might not have passed. But it is impossible to calculate how many votes a “smart vote” gave us. Still, our audience is quite intersect with the audience of Navalny. People who voted by “smart voting” could have voted for the “apple tree”.

- If Zhdanov was allowed, you could have the same scenario as in 30 districts?

- Very likely. Most likely, it would be so. But it’s hard to say exactly.

- How do you yourself feel that some of the votes brought you a “smart vote”? That some voters did not vote for you, but against the city hall.

- It is completely normal. We ourselves, when we campaigned, said that people have a choice: Besedin, which does not depend on the city hall, and Kumin, which depends. Therefore, it is completely logical that the voice for me is a voice against the city hall.

Smart voting as a whole interestingly showed itself in the districts where there was essentially no choice. Where there was an administrative candidate, and a set of passing weak candidates. Just due to the consolidation of protest voting in some of them, such candidates were able to win.

- How do you look at the fact that the “smart vote” helped to take the Mandates of the Communist Party?

- Yes, it helped. Don't know. The Communists, too, will now need to live with this themselves-that they won largely due to "smart voting".

- That is, it does not bother you that some not the most pretty characters got into the Duma?

- It's hard to say what is better. The administrative candidate is probably not the most characteristic character.

"Mosgordum will be interesting as a place for discussions"

- Such a result of elections to the Moscow City Duma is a victory for conditional democrats?

- Of course, victory. Society demonstrated: when we consolidated the political action, it turns out. Now it is felt good and positive. How the Moscow City Duma will work - I don't know.

- The Moscow City Duma in its new, very motley composition is a working body?

- I think that it will be an interesting Mosgor Duma. After all, the idea and function of the parliament is that different parties, different views and different layers of society are presented there. Therefore, such a composition, not even reflecting the real opinion of Muscovites, can be interesting in terms of discussions and its function - as a place for discussions.

- What are you going to do after this Duma is refused in the dissolution of this Duma? Still, the deputies of the Moscow City Duma do not have many powers.

- There are really few powers. But the Moscow City Duma is an important tribune. Still, behind every deputy is a whole district. For example, a little less than 15 thousand people voted for me. There are a lot of people behind me and in this regard it seems to me that the Moscow City Duma is a good place to report their thoughts and views.

I will go to the Duma meetings exactly with what I went to the polls. I have a specific program. I am an employee of the City Projects Foundation. For many years we have been talking about the development of an affordable city, electric transport, the protection of the Moscow trolley, the construction of a tram and so on. I am a politician, but I remain an urbanist. I have an understanding that the agenda with which I was walking is important. And I will push all these initiatives.

“Are you ready to negotiate with United Russia to push them?”

- Obviously, I will enter the Yabloko fraction. I think we will cooperate and interact on some issues and with other factions. It is difficult to say specifically on what issues we will have understanding and interaction.

- Do you think mayor's candidates will be ready for dialogue?

- It's hard to assume. It’s still early and strange to talk about it.

- The authority of the Duma as a whole is enough to realize your ideas?

- Naturally, I will convince other deputies that Moscow and Muscovites need our initiatives. The Moscow City Duma adopts the laws of Moscow. Therefore, for example, we can draw up a bill on the adoption of certain design standards in order to reduce mortality on the roads. This can be done. And it will be strange if the mayor is categorically against the law adopted by the Moscow City Duma.

"The authorities were frightened that everything would get out of control"

- Critics of “smart voting” say that one cannot rejoice at such elections, when several people have already received real terms during this campaign.

“I don't really understand how they got it.” In fact, the fact that we, as a society, have won a fairly significant victory, suggests that politicians will deal with the question that people are sitting. It needs to be lifted in every possible way. And we see that society clearly understands: this is injustice. The acute understanding of this injustice also resulted in the voting results.

- Will the issues of liberation of political prisoners discuss the release of political prisoners in the Moscow City Duma?

- I think that, of course, they will.

- Why do you think the city hall went to such a tough script?

- Initially, we were preparing for a campaign, which will be of little interest - traditionally there is little interest in this election. Nothing foreshadowed that everything would result in that. But the authorities were frightened that everything would get out of control. As a result, even more controlled control. This is an absolutely man -made political crisis. The artificial disadvantage of candidates, an overwhelming police violence - of course, such things annoy Muscovites and Muscovites will not eat this.

- The authorities thought that everyone would be frightened and subsided?

- May be. Honestly, it is difficult for me to imagine that in the head of people who make such decisions.

- Why didn’t the authorities go for hard falsifications?

- I think the city hall has a desire to reduce the degree of crisis, and not to increase it. Falsification with such attention to the campaign would definitely increase it. And this is not known what could end.

“Did they solve their problem?” Will the protests stop?

- I cannot predict such things.

-You believe that the story of 2011 will not happen again, when many voted according to the scenario “at least someone, but not“ United Russia ”,” but nothing good came out?

- It's hard to say. The current Duma has not yet shown itself. But such a danger is present. But, firstly, now we have a democratic faction in the Moscow City Duma: four Yabloko from 45 is still quite significant. Then there was no democratic party, so now the picture can be different. But, again - we do not yet understand which Duma we elected.

Pavel Merzlikin