State Duma elections in Nenets Okrug.
Only few days are left before election day in all Russian federal subjects. The inhabitants of the Nenets Okrug are to decide who becomes the deputy to the State Duma from this small northern region for the next four years. Soon it will be clear which representatives from what political parties will occupy places in the Russian parliament.
Who believes himself to be worthy?
In the Nenets okrug, this northwestern subject of the Russian Federation with a population just of 41 000 persons, there are eight registered candidates seeking the one position of State Duma deputy. In 1999, there were fourteen candidates. Competition is not as hard as to the post of head of the regional administration. It might be understandable; to make laws is not as interesting as to spend budget money. The majority of the candidates are local people, as well as inhabitants of Arkhangelsk. The present State Duma deputy from Nenets Okrug, Arthur Chilingarov, who lives in Moscow, also runs for his third re-election.
Ordinary people of the region show most interest not in the action plans of the candidates, but in publications in the local press about the candidates' incomes. The most modest income of the future "people's servant" is only 10 000 rubles per year (about 350 US dollars), while the richest candidate has managed to earn almost a hundred times more during the same year. However, democracy which is adopted from the West, has given equal rights to all candidates, among whom the youngest is only 22 years, and the oldest 64 years of age. One thing common to six of the candidates is that they have presented their own candidacy - the remaining two have been nominated by parties - one by «the party in power» - the United Russia (Edinaja Rossia) - Arthur Chilingarov, the other by the Communist Party - Yuri Romanov. There are no women and no native Nenets people among the candidates.
Fair struggle or "Russian-style competition"?
The candidates will have to fight hard for the 28 000 voters of the Nenets okrug. This struggle is now conducted on all fronts - at meetings with people, in newspapers, radio and TV, as well as leaflets and brochures. Hidden participants of those battles - different PR-teams, among which there are professionals and amateurs. The first victim of this information war has already appeared - this week police in Naryan-Mar detained the distributor of the propaganda leaflet "Klassnoe chtivo" (Cool reading matter), in which some candidates were criticized in a supposedly too harm and cynical manner. The contents and the form of the leaflets contradict several laws of Russia and the distributor will have to pay large fines. Officially, not head of the regional administration, Vladimir Butov, nor the largest oil operator Lukoil have given their support to any of the candidates. Still, some people say they both support Arthur Chilingarov, strangely enough since relations between the two sides have been very strained.
What do voters expect from their deputy?
As usual, the most active voters attending meetings with candidates, and casting their votes are women, pensioners and villagers. They are mostly interested not in the political views of the future deputy, but in how their lives will change after the elections. They are interested in getting to know the future size of their wages, increase of pensions, occurrence of new workplaces, construction of new municipal houses and work possibilities in the region's oil and gas companies. After all, taxes from the oil industry make up almost 90 percent of all budget revenues in the Nenets Okrug. However, some of the problems about which people address the candidates are more related to the competence of the regional authorities. As a matter of fact, it is also the indicator of their work.
Election process has started
Last Sunday, pre-schedule voting officially began in the okrug. It is intended for the reindeer breeders wandering around the tundra, workers of the distant polar stations and inhabitants of remote small settlements at the coast of the Barents Sea. To reach those people, for which elections are a free-of-charge entertainment, the polling commission has to fly by helicopter with the ballot box for several hours. One hour of helicopter flight costs more than one thousand US dollars which is equal to monthly wages of six-seven reindeer breeders. Elections are an expensive affair, but necessary for the state in which these reindeer breeders live, because in the nearest future they will get the representative in Moscow which should fight for their interests.
Jury Tjuljubaev, Naryan-Mar
BarentsObserver.com, 1 December 2003
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