The CEC will send specialists to Khakassia to check the complaint about the preparation of falsifications

The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Wednesday decided to send a special group (the so-called troika) to Khakassia with the participation of representatives of the CEC itself and law enforcement agencies to verify information about impending fraud in the elections for the head of the republic and deputies of the Supreme Council. Valery Usatyuk, Senator from Khakassia, gave information about this to Ella Pamfilova, Chairman of the Central Election Commission. Ms. Pamfilova, however, considered this information devoid of specifics and accused the authorities of the region, headed by communist Valentin Konovalov, of using the methods that they themselves are fighting against.

Senator Valery Usatyuk represents the executive branch of Khakassia in the Federation Council. Last week, he sent an appeal to Ella Pamfilova, in which he reported on the upcoming massive falsification of the voting results in the September elections for the head of the republic and deputies of the Supreme Council. In an appeal, the text of which published some media, Mr. Usatyuk claims pressure on the chairmen of precinct commissions from the political technologists of United Russia’s gubernatorial candidate Sergei Sokol, who arrived in Khakassia.

According to the senator, electoral committee members can be bribed in the republic, who are also trained in methods of falsification.

At the same time, according to Valery Usatyuk, many heads of the commissions refuse the proposals they receive or refer to the impossibility of falsifications due to the presence of KOIBs. The senator asks the CEC to check the circumstances he has stated.

Mrs. Pamfilova announced at a meeting of the commission on Wednesday that in response to this appeal, the so-called troika will be sent to the region “just about” to carefully check the information received.

Although, according to the head of the CEC, this information itself is absolutely vague: “There is not a single example: who was talked to, who was pressured, where does the possibility of some kind of bribery come from. It’s all just speculation.”

Ella Pamfilova added that she did not understand the background of the “hysteria” with the elections in Khakassia, since the current head of the republic, Valentin Konovalov (KPRF), was successfully elected largely thanks to the “principled position of the Central Executive Committee and the honest professional work of the election commissions of Khakassia.” Now, according to Ms. Pamfilova, the executive power in the region is using the same methods with administrative resources that it criticizes itself.

The deputy chairman of the CEC, Nikolai Bulaev, in turn, drew attention to the fact that Senator Usatyuk’s address was very streamlined: “Not a single PEC, no number, no name. “Many chairmen” – not a single last name … That is, the person wrote very carefully so as not to substitute that this was a false denunciation. Ella Pamfilova, although not without sarcasm, nevertheless stood up for Mr. Usatyuk: “We must understand Valery Petrovich. I understand that I really want to work for another five years in the Federation Council.” According to her, a group of specialists will work in Khakassia until September 12 (voting in the republic will take place from September 8 to 10).

Recall that the “troikas”, consisting of representatives of the Central Election Commission, the prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, began to operate several years ago.

The last time they traveled to the regions was in 2021, in particular, to St. Petersburg, from where a large number of complaints were received about violations in the organization of the election campaign. It was then that in the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the northern capital, three Boris Vishnevskys ran at once, which caused a wide resonance in the press and was discussed at meetings of the Central Executive Committee.

Political consultant Yevgeny Minchenko told Kommersant that he also heard about pressure on the election commissions in Khakassia, but from the administration of Valentin Konovalov. “The administration of the current communist governor has adopted the worst practices of administrative resource, which have not been used in other regions for a long time. There is unprecedented pressure on state employees and election commissions,” the expert noted. Therefore, the arrival of the CEC mission to assess what is happening will be very useful, Mr. Minchenko believes.

Elena Rozhkova