Federalism and Local Politics in Russia

The struggle for power in the Urals 219administration’s (pro-Osinstev) PR team, under the combined pressure ofwhich his campaign image collapsed. 52The first round showed Osinstev in a close second place. Chernetskypolled 34 per cent to Osintsev’s 26 per cent. At this point, three losing candidates,Khabarov, Serebrennikov and Gabinsky, made a joint declaration(known as the ‘December agreement’) calling upon the population to votefor Osintsev, in what came to be seen as a ‘manifesto from OPS Uralmash infavour of Osintsev, and likely to damage his rating’. 53 (OPS Uralmash’s ownrating had collapsed under pressure from Bakov’s ‘anti-mafia’ campaign.)The real strength in Osintsev’s campaign came from elsewhere. On 10December, the General Council of United Russia published its decision tosupport Osintsev, who had not previously been a member of that party. 54The regional branch of United Russia swung into action, accusingChernetsky of slander for his statement that criminals supported Osinstev’scandidacy. United Russia suspended all local party members who refused tosupport Osintsev, including Duma Chair Silin and members of both city andoblast dumas. 55 Chernetsky was himself instructed on party grounds to supporthis opponent or face disciplinary proceedings.Osintsev’s team used the support received from the federal centre and fromUnited Russia to full effect – deploying the slogans ‘Putin for President,Rossel for Governor and Osintsev for Mayor’ and ‘state power is coming toEkaterinburg’ 56 and implying that the president wanted Osinstev to win. 57The logic was expounded by Franz Klintsevich, who arrived in Ekaterinburgfrom the party headquarters in Moscow:In this country serious changes are occurring. … no one can deny thatRussia is seeing a period of the strengthening of state power … NowUnited Russia has become an instrument of the President … in theautumn of this year we supported Eduard Rossel, who became the firstgovernor to be elected with the support of a federal party. Now it’s timeto choose a mayor of Ekaterinburg and the general council has supportedYuri Osintsev. That way we will have a logical vertical of power:there is President Putin, there is Governor Rossel. Now there must beMayor Osintsev. 58On the other side, Bakov made a public appeal, reminding voters thatKhabarov and OPS Uralmash had called on them to vote for Osinstev, andpredicting that if Chernetsky lost, OPS Uralmash would begin a bloodyredistribution of city property, 59 and this broadly was the line followed bythe pro-mayor campaign.The organized crime theme had undeniable resonance, particularly in theweek leading up to the second round on 21 December. Once public opinionhad become exercised by the criminal theme, the Oblast’s ability to counterthis was limited – after all, everyone had seen the Oblast media backingKhabarov’s election to the City Duma the previous year.