“United Russia” did not turn in the suburbs

The Moscow regional branch of “United Russia” (ER) on Wednesday nominated the current head of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobyov as a candidate for the autumn gubernatorial elections. According to the results of the secret ballot, the overwhelming majority of the delegates of the regional party conference expressed his support. The governor’s technical competitors were his long-time associates – a member of the Federation Council from the Moscow region Elena Zabralova and State Duma deputy Alexander Tolmachev, elected in the Shchelkovo district.

The conference, at which the delegates were to decide on the party’s candidacy for the September election of a governor near Moscow, was held at the Government House of the Moscow Region (Krasnogorsk). Nobody expected intrigues, although some party members, according to their confession, were interested to see who would be “highlighted”, that is, nominated by the rivals of the incumbent head in the intra-party vote, the regional cell.

Secretary of the General Council of United Russia Andrei Turchak began the work of the conference with praise to Mr. Vorobyov. “I would like to personally thank you for the lightning-fast reaction in those days when you came to the aid of the Belgorod region, its inhabitants (after the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the border areas.— “b”), he said. “Already on the morning of June 6, we unloaded the first two trucks from the Moscow region: you helped provide people with everything they needed in the very first hours of the evacuation.” Mr. Turchak expressed confidence that all delegates would support Andrey Vorobyov’s nomination, recalled that the President had given him confidence, and stressed that under the leadership of Mr. Vorobyov the region remains a leader in a number of indicators: “On the initiative of the governor, one of the most effective feedback systems has been created here , known throughout the country “Dobrodel”. The first regional control center in Russia also appeared here, and it was after a successful “pilot” that centers began to be created in other regions. It was in the Moscow region that the first centers for helping the mobilized and their families were launched.”

The potential accumulated by the governor, according to Andriy Turchak, the party will have to use during the presidential elections-2024. “In fact, we have already entered the presidential campaign,” Mr. Turchak noted. “March 2024 is just around the corner, and United Russia in this campaign, of course, is assigned the most important role as the party of the president, the party of the people’s majority.” And since the Moscow region has already turned out to be among the best regions in the formation of a mobilization base, the local party members only have to “translate quantity into quality” and “bring voters to the polling stations,” the Secretary of the General Council summed up.

Igor Bryntsalov, secretary of the regional unit of United Russia, who spoke next, recalled that it was Andrey Vorobyov who united party members near Moscow in work at all stages, and recalled that the main principle of the local branch’s activity is “work in a team, the team of the governor”: “From the regional branch I want to express special words of gratitude to Andrei Yuryevich Vorobyov, who constantly supports our party activists, participates in all election campaigns and, as a leader, aims at the results that our region shows. Today, the Moscow Regional Branch is a powerful resource for solving electoral problems,” summed up Mr. Bryntsalov.

Andrey Vorobyov’s technical rivals on the ballot were Olga Zabralova, a senator from the government of the Moscow Region, who had worked in the governor’s team since his appointment, and Alexander Tolmachev, a State Duma deputy, who began his political career in the local “Young Guard of United Russia”. The delegates were shown videos with a short biography and a list of achievements of both candidates, and they themselves assured the delegates of absolute loyalty to the governor’s team and thanked Mr. Vorobyov for his efficient and many years of work.

Andrei Vorobyov, after listening to twenty-second thunderous applause, noted that every stage in life matters if you meet him in a circle of associates, like-minded people and friends. “I am very grateful to everyone who was born in the Moscow region, who lives in the Moscow region, who has realized himself in the Moscow region, in various parts of this beautiful region,” said Mr. Vorobyov. In the speech that followed, he emphasized unity several times, recalled his meeting with the president, thanked the participants in the special operation in Ukraine and promised to “keep the pace going.” As a result, out of 388 delegates of the conference, whose ballots were recognized by the counting commission as valid, 380 voted for the nomination of Andrei Vorobyov for governor, five for Olga Zabralova and three for Alexander Tolmachev. “It was to be expected,” Igor Bryntsalov summed up approvingly.

Grigory Leiba