In the municipal district (MO) of Filevsky Park, at a meeting of the council of deputies between United Russia member Dmitry Prokhorov and the representative of PARNAS Vadim Korovin, a scuffle took place. The reason was the conflict over the election of the deputy head of the Ministry of Defense. Tigran Mkrtchyan, the general director of the Gorbushka shopping center, who was not elected as a United Russia deputy and general director of the Gorbushka shopping center, demanded that this item be removed from the agenda. He performs the duties of the head of the Moscow region, since in August 2017 he became the deputy head of the Moscow region after the retirement of the previous head of the district.
The first two items on the agenda of the meeting were the election of the head of the Moscow Region Filevsky Park and his deputy. The former head of the district, Yuri Yudin, retired in August 2017, after which the duties of the chairman were assigned to Tigran Mkrtchyan as his deputy. He still continues to fulfill them, although he was not elected a deputy on September 10.
Six oppositionists from the United Democrats team (four from Yabloko, one self-nominated candidate and a representative of PARNAS) and four United Russia members were elected to the council. Until now, the deputies have not been able to elect a new head (to be elected, it is necessary to get seven votes). At a meeting on November 21, the opposition nominated Vadim Korovin for the post of head of the Ministry of Defense, and Dmitry Prokhorov from United Russia. However, once again the chairman was never elected: the opposition voted for their candidate, and the United Russia party voted for their own.
Having read out the second item on the agenda of the meeting on the election of the deputy head of the Moscow region, Mr. Mkrtchyan announced that "this item is removed from the agenda," since these powers are entrusted to him. After that, United Russia suggested moving to the third item on the agenda, but the opposition deputies were outraged by this decision.
Vadim Korovin, picking up a microphone, proposed to re-elect him as the chairman of the meeting and include the decision in the protocol, the opposition supported him. After that, Mr. Mkrtchyan stated that "the meeting was disrupted." At the same time, United Russia member Dmitry Prokhorov cut the microphone wire. Mr. Korovin tried to go to the presiding officer in order to continue to conduct the meeting, but Mr. Prokhorov was on his way. A scuffle took place between the deputies, which was stopped by representatives of law enforcement agencies.
Later, Dmitry Prokhorov posted a medical certificate on his Facebook page, which indicated that he was injured. Nevertheless, the video recording of the meeting shows how Mr. Prokhorov himself pushes Mr. Korovin.
After the scuffle, United Russia party leaders, led by Tigran Mkrtchyan, left the conference room, and the staff of the council of deputies, as self-nominated Olga Mostinskaya told Kommersant, "stole the minutes of the meeting and working documents." Opposition MPs filed an application against them with the Investigative Committee.
The oppositionists themselves decided to continue the meeting, headed by Vadim Korovin, but soon the unknown turned off the electricity. “Tigran Mkrtchyan didn’t announce the meeting closed, so we don’t have to prove that it continued,” Mrs. Mostinskaya told Kommersant. “There are six deputies left at the table, this is a quorum. We elected a chairperson and continued the discussion of the agenda items ”. On November 23, Mr. Mkrtchyan, according to her, will be obliged to sign the minutes of this meeting, even if it took place without his participation.
Mr. Mkrtchyan declined to comment on Kommersant.
The recently elected municipal deputies of the Filevsky Park district spoke about attempts to put pressure on them before the election of the chairman of the council of municipal deputies. Local United Russia members come to independent candidates and explain why they should vote for their candidate, and through third parties the deputies receive the same “explanations” in the form of threats and bribery offers. Open Russia has learned how the struggle of the deputies continues after the victory in the elections.
Carrot and stick
The election of municipal deputies is traditionally followed by the election of the chairman of the council of deputies - he is elected by a majority of votes by the district deputies themselves. After opposition candidates won in several districts of Moscow, the United Russia deputies had fewer chances of being elected to these positions. To become chairpersons of councils, United Russia members will need to get the support of not only party associates, but also the votes of independent deputies. Most likely, in order to get the votes of their opponents, the deputies will soon resort to a variety of methods, and often - not always legal.
A similar struggle for the post of chairman of the council of municipal deputies is planned in the Filevsky Park area. United Russia deputy Dmitry Prokhorov, who has been striving for the post of chairman of the municipal council for many years, is again trying to head the meeting of deputies. But the result of Sunday's elections does not promise him a confident victory - 10 mandates in the region were distributed among five Yabloko deputies, four United Russia members and one self-nominated candidate.
Independent deputies of the Filevsky District told Open Russia how, over the past four days, they have been “pushed” to vote for the pro-government candidate.
Denis Prokuronov, a deputy of the Filevsky Park district, said that they were trying to put pressure on him through third parties: “Through several of my acquaintances, I received a signal that we need to support Prokhorov. The main argument: if we do not support, then our region will stagnate, the political process will not start, and so on. And then came the classic methods of pressure in the style of "carrot and stick". In my case, the "whip" is problems with the university, they promise to arrange them for me if I do not vote in the right way. Up to the expulsion and the army - I am 21 years old, that is, I still fall under the draft. In the form of a "carrot", they hint at receiving some material benefits and monetary rewards. There are no direct statements from the representatives of "United Russia", such information is transmitted through acquaintances. Today I met with the head of the district council Ruslan Osipenko - there were hints that Yabloko would be to blame for the fact that the process would not start. Concrete processing is underway so that one of us still gives up. But they will break their teeth about us - this is not why we went to the polls to surrender. "
“They also talk to others, sometimes harshly, but without advertising who is behind it,” says deputy Vadim Korovin. - It comes from somewhere from the side, they say, look, think, there may be a criminal case, but it still sounds like advice. In the situation with Prokuronov, we know for sure that the initiator was Andrei Mitin, the head of the United Russia election headquarters in the region. And Ruslan Osipenko, the head of the council, walks with everyone and talks, he does not engage in open pressure. "
Dmitry Prokhorov
“It will be difficult to dig in. But they will dig "
Irina Surikova, deputy of the Filevsky Park district, said that they are trying to influence her in a similar way: during personal meetings, representatives of United Russia recommend voting for Prokhorov, but direct threats come through other people. “The head of the council, Osipenko, suddenly came to my work personally,” says Surikova. - He talked to me for 50 minutes, trying to understand what I am, from which side you can put pressure on me. When I asked him: “Do you want me to vote for Prokhorov?”, He said “yes”. I say: “Listen, well, he has been sitting in this place for 15 years,” and Osipenko answered me: “Well, he is experienced, I want you to vote for him.” The next day, from one person (deputy Irina Surikova asked not to be named. - Open Russia), I find out that they are “draining” me: I am the director of an LLC at Gorbushka, everything is open for me, everything is transparent and legal, everything has been paid, everything is clean, it will be difficult to dig in. But they will dig in. The second thing I find out is that there is already an agreement to be thrown out of the Gorbushka Yard, and that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow they will send me a tax audit. It was also said that a criminal case will be opened against my daughter - because this is my most vulnerable point. "
“We immediately said that they might not even try, because none of the independent deputies would vote for Prokhorov,” Prokuronov continues. - We are all united by the point of view that United Russia should not be allowed to take leading positions here. That is, United Russia will not chair here, nor will it exercise control over the budget commission and manage all key processes in the region. There are several serious objects in which funds have already been "charged" - this is the reconstruction of the embankment, "Gorbushka", which may be demolished, the expansion of roads, in general, a lot of money and great interests for "United Russia".
Dmitry Gudkov, thanks to whose project many independent candidates became MPs, says similar pressure is now taking place in all districts where United Russia has lost its majority. There are now 29 such districts: Akademichesky, Airport, Gagarinsky, Zyuzino, Izmailovo, Konkovo, Krasnoselsky, Kuntsevo, Lomonosovsky, Ostankinsky, Presnensky, Sokol, Tverskoy, Troparevo-Nikulino, Khamovniki, Horoshevsky, Yakimanka, Alekseevsky, Bogorodomogo , Maryina Roshcha, Meshchansky, Preobrazhenskoe, Ramenki, Timiryazevsky, Filevsky Park and Cheryomushki.
“This happens wherever the United Russia party does not have enough votes: they are invited to the councils and they try to either intimidate, or buy, or negotiate,” says Dmitry Gudkov. - We were ready for this, I personally call everyone, and while ours are holding on. If one of them nevertheless agrees, I can only condemn it and blame it. But this always happens to someone, there are a lot of temptations. We are trying to counteract this. It is impossible to avoid one hundred percent, but we do everything to prevent such cases. The chairman of the council of deputies is a permanent job, it is full employment, maximum involvement, much more than that of other deputies. The chairman works full time every day, and he receives a salary - but this is not a struggle for a salary. Consider it an apparatus struggle: whoever has an apparatus controls the processes. "
On the evening of November 21, a regular meeting of the council of municipal deputies was to take place at the Moscow District Council of Filevsky Park. Several issues were brought up on the agenda, but according to the regulations, the deputies first of all had to elect the chairman of the council and his deputy. However, the acting head of the council, Tigran Mkrtchyan, tried to remove the issue of elections from the agenda by his sole decision, MP Vadim Korovin told Mediazone.
Mkrtchyan - General Director of the Gorbushka Shopping Center, nominated by United Russia; in the last convocation of the Council of Deputies, he served as deputy chairman, but was not elected to the new one; his parliamentary term expired in September. In the September 10 elections, independent and opposition candidates won the majority in the Filyovsky Park Council - six out of ten seats - while United Russia won four seats. The chairman of the council, explains Korovin, is elected by a qualified majority: he must get seven votes, which is problematic in the current balance of power; the deputy himself lacked one vote in the election of the head of the council. The procedure for electing a deputy is simpler: a simple majority is enough here. However, last Tuesday, Mkrtchyan, says the deputy, spoke out categorically against the vote: it is impossible to elect a deputy until the head of the council is elected, they insisted after the acting. United Russia.
“Mkrtchyan was obliged to follow the agenda, he was obliged to comply with the charter and regulations, according to which all issues on the agenda must be considered,” Korovin explained. “If the issue is removed from the agenda, then it is removed by the vote of the deputies.”
A skirmish ensued in the council, Mkrtchyan persisted, and independent deputies threatened to deprive him of his powers. “I took out the microphone, because I was tired of shouting loudly, and said that I propose to elect a chairman,” says Korovin. Six people supported his proposal, four United Russia members abstained. As a result, Korovin himself was elected to the post of deputy head of the council.
After that, Mkrtchyan and other deputies from "United Russia" decided to leave the meeting; goodbye United Russia tried to prevent Korovin from taking a seat at the table. In addition, deputy Dmitry Prokhorov took a knife out of his pocket and cut the microphone wire, Korovin claims.
“The video clearly shows how the wire of my personal microphone is being cut. In my opinion, on his part it was a violent seizure and retention of power, because he did not want us to elect a deputy chairman, "Korovin said.
After the deputies of "United Russia" left the hall, taking with them the minutes of the meeting, the lights in the entire building of the council turned off; according to Korovin, this did not prevent the remaining deputies from discussing all the issues on the agenda.
Deputy Denis Prokuronov appealed to the Investigative Committee with a request to check the actions of United Russia under Article 278 of the Criminal Code - violent seizure of power or forcible retention of power. The statement was signed by six independent deputies. Korovin himself intends to contact the police with a complaint about damage