Tula Kremlin does not believe in the victory of Alexey Navalny in presidential elections in 2018. However, a little less than a year before the vote, the government is creating opposition politician added complexity.
According to representatives of the election headquarters of Navalny, preparing policy meeting with supporters in Tula, to provide premises for a meeting refused managers and owners of the 28 sites. Navalny himself called the Tula, the record: such a massive number of failures was not yet in any city, said Navalny at a meeting with local volunteers.
According to the owner of one of the many sites he changed his mind to hand over the premises after with him several times contacted the representatives of the local administration: they are not encouraged “to rent space Bulk.” The owner of the premises who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, explained that denied Navalny, since he “didn’t want trouble.”
The press service of the government of the Tula region in response to the request, Reuters reported that the staff of the regional administration has not contacted the owners or owners of the premises, in order to dissuade them from renting premises for a meeting with the opposition.
“Employees of the government of the Tula region in no way connected to the events did not and, accordingly, has not contacted the owners of the premises and did not give any advice on the rental”, — stated in the message.
The current Governor of Tula region Alexey Dyumin has led the personal protection of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin — he led the region in September last year.
Navalny registered as a candidate for the presidential elections next year: the opposition may not be allowed to participate in elections because of a conviction on charges of embezzlement. According to Navalny, his prosecution is politically motivated.
If Bulk will be able to take part in the elections, his chances of victory is low — according to opinion polls, Russian citizens would rather give their votes to the incumbent President. Besides, Bulk — persona non grata on national television, which is traditionally controlled by the state.
Despite this, the current government refers to Bulk with caution — if he wants, he can bring to the rally a crowd of thousands, his millions of loyal fans on social networks.
So, the investigation on alleged corruption of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, “you do not Dimon”, prepared by Fund of struggle against corruption, headed by Navalny, gained 21.6 million hits.
26 March organized by FBK March against corruption took tens of thousands of people — despite the refusal of the city authorities to agree to share. A similar event is planned for June 12.
“Navalny began to resemble a bee and not a mosquito; the bite can be painful,” writes, Samuel of WAE rebo, a researcher Eurasia Group.
Cold shoulder
In the spring of Navalny began a tour of Russian regions: in visits, he met with his supporters and volunteers at different venues. The owners and managers of Tula areas, failed to Bulk representatives who spoke with Reuters correspondent, said the reasons for the refusal.
Olga, the Manager of the entertainment complex, said: “we are entertainment-oriented. The basis of the rejection is: we don’t want to politicize our institution. We have a leisure place, is our priority, nothing else.”
Anastasia, the Manager of the Tula law firm, told Reuters that volunteers contacted her and asked to rent one of the offices, but “hall was unable to provide, since the day he took the head of the company”. Anastasia confirmed that personally negotiated with employees of a staff of Navalny. On other issues the Manager refused to answer and hung up.
“First, in our premises planned repairs. And our owner was not particularly tuned to this event”, — said Natalia, the Manager of one of the halls. To contact the owners, she refused.
“It was not easy,- said Dmitry Nikolayev, one of participants of campaign of Navalny in Tula, telling of the search space. — It was a single room. We say — let us you turn him over? The contract they slipped. And then we call you back — they are people from the administration said they do not advise”.
Earlier, Navalny supporters tried three times to get permission to hold a demonstration on Lenin square in Tula at the same time with the anti-corruption protests in other cities on March 26. The organizers refused, the day on Lenin square held a rally in defense of nature called “save snowdrop!” According to the press Secretary of the city administration Svetlana Kolesnik, applications for antikorruptsionnye the rally was decorated with violations.
Meeting with volunteers — there were three hundred people, mostly high school age — as a result was held in a small room of the election headquarters of Navalny. On the Windows of the first floor in Leyteyzena, 9, pasted stickers “Bulk — 20!8”.
Premises for campaign headquarters until the end of the year, passed a local businessman Boris Nadezhdin, Deputy General Director of the Tula construction company (TSC). In a conversation with Reuters, he said that friends advised him not to take the room a disgraced policy, but he decided to take a chance because “I wanted to help the guys.”
