Murmansk governor challenges United Russia

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Governor Yevdokimov requested the regional party agitators to stop “disgracing the party”. -This has never brought any good – not a single party has ever won victories with plans based on lies, falsification and slandering, he underlined. He added that he possesses “massive amounts of information which distracts [the party] from the election campaign”, Interfax reports.

The governor also claims that unfaithful officials remove unwanted information from people’s post boxes, that they force the kindergartens to subscribe to certain literature, and that they put pressure on school kids to agitate for the party in their families.

Yevdkimov, himself a member of the United Russia, calls on the regional party structures to assemble in an extraordinary meeting, in order to “clarify the mechanism of these acts”, Newsru.com reports.

The city mayor elections are due 1 March. Also elections to the Murmansk regional parliament will be held on that day.

United Russia reactions

The federal leadership of United Russia now strongly reacts on the statements of the governor. Party secretary Andrey Vorobyov openly says that Yevdokimov might face expulsion from the party.

-We will kick members with such behavior out of the party without regrets, Mr. Vorobyov says to Interfax.

According to Mr. Vorobyov, the reason for the governor’s “nervousness” is not at all based in the party’s alleged lack of good campaign behavior, but comes rather because of the governor’s dislike with the party’s choice of official candidate for the upcoming Murmansk city mayor elections.

While the party has chosen current city Mayor Yury Savchenko as its candidate for the post, the governor rather wants to see his deputy Sergey Subbotin as the next mayor. Unable to get the necessary support of the United Russia, Mr. Subbotin now instead runs as an independent candidate.

Losing horse

Also in the last city mayor elections in 2004, Governor Yevdokimov expressed dislike with the victory of Yury Savchenko. Then, he gave his full support to Mr. Savchenko’s main contender, Igor Saburov.

Now, the situation is a similar one, only with the major difference that Yury Savchenko is the official candidate of the powerful United Russia. That might eventually have fatal consequences for the governor. United Russia is the Russian Party of Power headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and with a huge level of control over Russian politics.

With his clear-worded criticism of the party, Yevdokimov is in serious danger of losing his party ticket. And without that, he might not be able to survive long as governor.

Speaker of the State Duma and leading party representative, Boris Gryzlov, explains the incident in Murmansk as a sign of Governor Yevdokimov being afraid of losing his job, Regnum reports.

Political survivor

The criticism of the United Russia might however not necessary destroy Governor Yevdokimov and his administration. His honest statements, could eventually give his popularity in the region a boost, and also strengthen the position of Sergey Subbotin as candidate in the upcoming elections.

The unfolding economic crisis could also play to the benefit of the governor of his crew. Yevdokimov has been cleverly reacted on the quick economic downturn and was among the first in Russia to establish a regional crisis commission.

After 13 years as governor in Murmansk Oblast, Yury Yevdokimov should himself be able to decide when to retire.