“New people” want to become the main opposition force in the parliament of Yakutia

Yakutia became the first subject of the Russian Federation where the “New People” put forward candidates for elections to the regional parliament. Nomination in other regions is planned for next week, the party’s press service told Vedomosti. When asked whether there are regions where the “New People” will not participate in the elections to the legislature, the party members did not answer.

In the elections to il tumen (parliament of Yakutia) “New people” put forward 64 candidates (44 men and 20 women) with an average age of 41 years. The list of the party was headed by the deputy head of the New People faction in the State Duma, Sardana Avksentieva, the second place was taken by the head of the regional branch, Vasily Nikolaev, and the third by Olga Sherstyannikova. The press service of the party emphasizes that the son of the latter volunteered for a special operation and was wounded. The candidate herself “actively supports the participants in the military operation from Yakutia and the families of the mobilized.”

Avksentieva noted that more than a third of the New People candidates (22 people) have large families, which “gives us confidence that they will work for the future of their children.” The press service of the party stated that the “New People” intend to form a faction in Iltumen and become the main opposition force “to control the work of the executive branch in the region.” Governor elections are also taking place in the region this year, but Avksentieva was not put up for them by the “New People”, however, like no other candidate.

The Growth Party, with which the New People concluded an informal political alliance at the end of June (blocs are not provided for by law), has already promised to support Avksentieva. “Today, a joint election headquarters of the Party of Growth and New People has been opened. The first meeting took place yesterday. Negotiations are still underway on the issue of nominating candidates and forming lists in the regions. But I can say in the affirmative – the Party of Growth will support Sardana Avksentieva, who topped the list of “New People” in the elections to the parliament of Yakutia,” Deputy Chairman of the Party of Growth Viktor Zvagelsky told Vedomosti.

PR consultant Vasily Damov notes that Avksentieva’s political “active” in Yakutia “has definitely become smaller”, since some of her supporters “cannot forgive her for giving up the mayor’s chair without a fight.” Avksentyeva, widely known outside of Yakutsk for her budget-cutting initiatives, stepped down as mayor in January 2021, citing health concerns. However, health problems did not prevent her from being elected to the State Duma from the New People in the same year. She was one of the leaders of the party list and made campaign trips to the regions.

The image of the “New People” in Yakutia is entirely determined by the image of Avksentieva, says political scientist Rostislav Turovsky. He believes that due to her personal fame, the party will try to come in second place. “But the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party and Just Russia in the region have good experience and good electoral positions (in the last elections to the State Duma and presidential elections, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation came in second place. – Vedomosti). Therefore, there will be a difficult competitive struggle for the second place, which will unfold literally in every territory of the republic,” predicts Turovsky.

According to him, campaigns for elections to legislative assemblies that are difficult for the authorities are expected in the Trans-Baikal Territory, Ivanovo, Yaroslavl and Arkhangelsk regions, as well as in Khakassia and the Ulyanovsk region.

In addition to Yakutia, elections to legislative assemblies that are difficult for United Russia are coming in the Trans-Baikal Territory, Irkutsk, Ulyanovsk and Yaroslavl regions, political analyst Vitaly Ivanov predicts. In all these subjects, he notes problems with the “efficiency of the domestic political bloc.”

In United Russia itself, campaigns in 13 regions where elections of various levels will be held are considered difficult for the party, Vedomosti reported on June 29. Potentially problematic, in particular, include elections in Ivanovo (they elect the governor and the regional duma), Arkhangelsk (they elect deputies of the regional duma and the city duma of Arkhangelsk) regions, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory (they elect the governor, the city council of Krasnoyarsk and by-elections to the State Duma in the district), as well as in Yaroslavl (choose the regional duma), Ulyanovsk (choose the legislature) regions and Yakutia (choose the governor, the legislature and the city duma of Yakutsk).

In total, on a single voting day in September, direct elections of governors in 21 regions and deputies of legislative assemblies of 20 subjects will be held. Including regional parliaments will be elected by residents of new regions – on June 15, the Central Election Commission, after consultations with the Ministry of Defense and the FSB, supported the proposal of the acting heads of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions to hold elections there.