KPRF Wins Cherepovets Amid Alleged Ballot Fraud
In the 2024 Russian parliamentary elections, the United Russia party performed poorly in Vologda Oblast, securing only 31.1% of the vote, its worst result nationwide. In the city of Cherepovets, the Communist Party won both the State Duma and regional assembly races, with experts citing widespread ballot manipulation favoring KPRF, allegedly orchestrated by the local industrial giant Severstal in response to political conflict with Governor Georgy Filimonov.
Consensus
- United Russia received 31.1% of votes in Vologda Oblast during the 2024 State Duma elections, the worst result for the party nationwide.
- In Cherepovets, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation won both the State Duma and regional legislative assembly races.
- Experts from the 'Vybori v detalyakh' project identified classic signs of ballot falsification in Cherepovets, including identical vote distributions across 111 out of 119 polling stations.
- The results in Cherepovets showed a significant discrepancy: United Russia received 19.97% of votes, while KPRF received 36.84%.
- The metallurgical plant Severstal is located in Cherepovets and is owned by billionaire Alexey Mordashov.
- Governor Georgy Filimonov has been in conflict with Severstal since his appointment in October 2023.
- Filimonov replaced the mayor of Cherepovets, Vadim Germanov, who was linked to Severstal, with Roman Maslov, a former head of Cherepovetsky District.
- The conflict between Filimonov and Severstal includes allegations of tax evasion, environmental damage, and migration issues.
- Nine Severstal-linked deputies left the Cherepovets city council during Filimonov's tenure.
- The governor publicly congratulated KPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov after the elections and invited him to meet at a Stalin monument in Cherepovets.
Points of divergence
- The governor of Vologda Oblast, Georgy Filimonov, is known for introducing a 'dry law' and installing numerous monuments to Joseph Stalin. — novaya_eu
- The governor's conflict with Severstal is due to his 'excessive odiousness' and has drawn scrutiny from the Kremlin. — novaya_eu
- The governor admitted that the election in the region was the most competitive he had ever seen. — novaya_eu
- The governor claimed that Severstal deliberately avoided paying 8 billion rubles in profit tax to the regional budget. — thebell
- The head of the regional Public Chamber, Denis Dvornikov, acknowledged that Cherepovets used 'corporate protest mobilization tools'. — thebell
- The governor accused Severstal of environmental harm and migration issues. — tg_horizontal_russia
Coverage (3 sources)
- Difficult child — Новая газета Европа
- In Cheboksary, where the 'Severstal' plant is located, signs of additions in favor of the CPRF were found — The Bell
- Cheboksary commissions faked elections in favor of CPRF, experts claim — 7х7 — Горизонтальная Россия