Sochi residents consider the results of the elections to the city assembly predetermined

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124 candidates have been registered for the elections of deputies of the Sochi City Assembly. City residents noted that there are many out-of-towners on the candidate lists and are confident that the election results are predetermined.

The registration of candidates for deputies of the Sochi City Assembly was completed on August 9. Of the 186 candidates, 21 did not submit documents on time and were removed from the elections, Kommersant writes, citing the press service of the city administration.

The list of registered candidates includes 124 candidates, of which 38 represent United Russia, 14 represent the LDPR, 12 represent the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, 11 represent A Just Russia - Patriots - For Truth, 15 represent New People, and five represent Communists of Russia. The remaining 29 are self-nominated candidates.

"From August 16, pre-election campaigning in the media for city council deputies will begin in Sochi. Voting will take place over three consecutive days, September 12, 13 and 14. Until August 16, registered candidates held meetings with voters, distributed their campaign leaflets and used Internet resources. The campaign period will end at midnight on September 12," a representative of the Sochi election commission told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Sochi residents are skeptical about the candidates for deputies

Sochi residents interviewed by a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent believe that the results of the elections for deputies are predetermined.

"Candidates for deputies from all over the world have flocked to the resort for fictitious elections," said Sergey Polischuk.

According to him, among the registered candidates there are several dozen people who, in fact, have nothing to do with Sochi. "When I saw the lists of registered people, I immediately realized that they were all "technical candidates" because they even live and are registered in other cities in Russia. These candidates for deputy from all over the world came to the resort for fictitious elections and, at the request of their friends, Sochi candidates, submitted applications. No other versions even come to mind as to why residents of Khanty-Mansiysk, Novosibirsk, Stavropol, Dimitrovgrad, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the village of Lebyazhye in the Kurgan region, Saransk, Krymsk, Sestroretsk, Ufa, Krasnodar, Novocherkassk, St. Petersburg and Moscow suddenly wanted to become deputies in Sochi. And why not in their own cities, where they know the people and the problems?" - he is perplexed.

Polischuk also clarified that he specifically wrote out the "geography of deputies" in order to meet with these people, but he never saw them at the so-called "meetings with deputies".

"What is the point of elections when the people don't know the candidates - and what they have done, or what they promise to do," Nikolay Vlasov is perplexed.

They are interested in their programs, but they don't exist!

Alexandra Ilyina is outraged that these deputies' programs are nowhere to be found. "All the information is their full names, dates and places of birth and residence. But they are interested in their programs, but they don't exist!" - she said.

"The outcome of the elections is a foregone conclusion. "United Russia" actually controls the political field, and the opposition is either eliminated or represented formally," said Oleg Melnikov.

"There are only 50 seats in the GSS. 124 people have registered. 38 of them are from "United Russia". So they will take the majority in the local parliament. Why this whole circus with the elections? The remaining seats will be divided between sham parties to create the appearance of democracy <...> By the way, the nominated candidates from the well-known parties CPRF and LDPR are generally unknown to anyone, and voters have never seen candidates from other parties. Everything is formal," said Irina Somova.

According to her, "real party organizations once worked in Sochi, but now everything is different." She believes that applications should not have been accepted from people who have not lived in the city for at least five years and registered as candidates, because it is all a "fiction".

Sochi Communists are disappointed in their comrades

CPRF member Nikolay Kulikov believes that real communists are being replaced in the city by people appointed from above. "These new "communists" are acting on orders from United Russia and are effectively pushing out those who remain true to their ideals. Party meetings have ceased to be held regularly. Attempts to raise issues are suppressed. All this turns the CPRF into an empty formality," he said.

According to him, in the 2000s the party was actively working in Sochi, but now "worthy candidates are being removed or not registered at all." "Activity is immediately suppressed and expulsion from the party follows. Silent and passive members remain in the party.

"In the early 2010s, the leader of the local city committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Igor Vasiliev, played a significant role in the political life of the city. His associates recall that he organized multi-thousand rallies against the construction of a thermal power plant in Kudepsta, spoke out against the development of the resort, helped those affected by the Olympic construction, and also criticized the formation of TOSs by the administration," Kulikov recalls.

In 2018, Vasiliev was expelled from the party "for causing harm to the Communist Party of the Russian Federation." Elena Didenko, a party member with almost 25 years of experience, was later expelled with a similar wording. "And now, after its reinstatement, it was expelled again before the elections," Kulikov added.

People went to the CPRF office as a last resort to solve problems that officials had ignored for years

"People went to the CPRF office as a last resort to solve problems that officials had ignored for years. Vasiliev had lawyers who helped people for free. But that was when pressure from the region began and the party began to be turned into an appendage of power," said Elena Didenko. She confirmed that after 25 years in the party, she "found herself overboard."

Former CPRF leader in Sochi Igor Vasiliev believes that the “tightening of the screws” in politics occurred in 2017-2018, when opponents began to be removed from parties and the electoral process. “I was replaced by a person loyal to the administration. Attempts to challenge the expulsion and get clarification from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation yielded no results,” he said. According to Vasiliev, he was expelled, like Didenko, for “harm caused to the party,” but they were never able to find out what exactly this harm was.

Arsen Vishnevsky was also expelled from the party. According to him, “no meetings or discussions of problems under the new leadership have been held for a long time.” He learned of his expulsion two years later and completely by accident. “Anyone who tells the truth is not suitable for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation today. I myself do not want to be in such a party. I have absolutely nothing to do there. "nothing," he said.

Vishnevsky believes that the Communist Party of the Russian Federation today "exists only on paper."

Former party members agreed that the upcoming elections to the city assembly will not change the political picture. "All positions have already been distributed in the regional headquarters between political parties in advance, and there is no longer an opposition in the usual sense in Russia," one of the respondents summed up on condition of anonymity.

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