Citizens received personalized messages in their Gosuslugi accounts from the governors of Novosibirsk and Tomsk Oblasts, Krasnoyarsk Krai, and Chuvashia: Andrey Travnikov, Vladimir Mazur, Mikhail Kotyukov, and Oleg Nikolaev. Travnikov, Kotyukov, and Mazur head United Russia’s regional groups in the State Duma elections.
In the videos, the governors report on the regional authorities’ achievements, such as newly built schools and hospitals and repaired roads. The elections are not mentioned. At the same time, the video featuring A Just Russia member Oleg Nikolaev is designed in exactly the same style as that featuring United Russia member Mikhail Kotyukov.
“This is a long-standing problem, unfortunately. Since they [the governors] are not required to take leave during the election period, they continue to perform their official duties, including in this way. It is legal according to the letter of the law, but not in substance,” electoral expert Stanislav Andreychuk told 7x7.
Moscow Oblast Governor Andrey Vorobyev was the first to send similar personalized messages, ahead of the 2023 gubernatorial election. He recorded videos reporting on the authorities’ work in each municipality in the region, which were distributed through the regional Dobrodel portal. The Election Commission did not consider this a violation of electoral law.
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