Izvestia: "Campaigners get started"
The election headquarters of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has already launched its presidential campaign. Izvestia was told at the headquarters that Putin does not hold election events himself – instead, public and political figures have started touring the regions.
Some campaigners go to the regions in teams. Thus, one team, including famous children's doctor Leonid Roshal and former turner Valery Trapeznikov, a State Duma deputy, has gone on a two-week tour from Moscow to Sakhalin. Every day this team will visit at least two cities, "We will meet with different groups of specialists – teachers, workers and representatives of the housing and utilities sector," a member of the team said.
Other campaign members have individual programmes on the already set schedule. Vyacheslav Lysakov, head of the movement Freedom of Choice and a Duma deputy, said he is planning to meet motorists and trade union activists in 15 cities. Nikolai Fyodorov, the author of the Popular Front's programme, will visit 20 cities, while Roshal has already been to several places. "He is one of the most active campaigners. While others will just do a few events, he is making many flights and holding many meetings and talks. Fyodorov has already started working as well," Izvestia was told at the headquarters.
Every campaigner must convince voters that there is no alternative to Putin. "We will explain to them that he deserves credit for everything that has been done and that in general there is no alternative. Good or bad, he is the only one. There are many talkers but he is the man who works for Russia everyday," Lysakov emphasized.
Other nominees will embark on their official campaign trails later, but they will go personally. Sergei Obukhov, the Secretary of the Communist Party Central Committee, said Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov has already started his campaign in Oryol and is planning to go to other cities.
Mikhail Prokhorov will start his campaign in Kazan on January 21, said his campaign manager, Anton Krasovsky. "Prokhorov will visit each million-plus city. His envoys will also go on tour but on their own itineraries," he added.
Vice Speaker of the State Duma from the Liberal Democratic Party Igor Levedev said party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky will go to the regions in late January but is not going to travel much. "We are placing our bets on television and other media. The Internet has an audience of 50 million. It is impossible to meet that many people during any campaign. We have offices in the regions. In contrast to Putin's headquarters ours does not have clowns that are sent out into the regions. The campaign is conducted by the party that nominated Zhirinovsky for the presidency," he explained.
The plans of Sergei Mironov and Grigory Yavlinsky are unknown so far. "Their itineraries have not yet been organised, but they will take place by all means," said Oleg Mikheyev, deputy from A Just Russia.
Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin said: "We are at a disadvantage compared with other candidates – still waiting for Churov's verdict (Churov heads the Central Election Committee) on whether the signatures we collected are authentic. For the time being we are concentrating on the collection and verification of signatures. We are thinking about our campaign itineraries, but we will only plan them as soon as we are registered."
Mikhail Rubin
