RUSSIA: RUSSIA REARS UP FOR PRESIDENTIAL POLLS BUT SOME VOTERS IN SIBERIA SEE NO PROSPECT OF A BETTER LIFE
Record ID:
328743
RUSSIA: RUSSIA REARS UP FOR PRESIDENTIAL POLLS BUT SOME VOTERS IN SIBERIA SEE NO PROSPECT OF A BETTER LIFE
- Title: RUSSIA: RUSSIA REARS UP FOR PRESIDENTIAL POLLS BUT SOME VOTERS IN SIBERIA SEE NO PROSPECT OF A BETTER LIFE
- Date: 11th March 2004
- Summary: (W2) OLKHON ISLAND, LAKE BAIKAL, RUSSIA (RECENT - FEBRUARY 28, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. LV OF OLKHON ISLAND/ COWS GRAZING 0.05 2. SLV/LAS CAR DRIVING ON A FROZEN LAKE BAIKAL, HEADING TOWARDS OLKHON ISLAND (2 SHOTS) 0.23 3. LV OF KHUZHIR VILLAGE ON OLKHON ISLAND 0.28 4. SLV MEN UNLOADING TRUCK IN KHUZHIR VILLAGE 0.35 5. CU DOG SITTING OUTSIDE HOUSE 0.40 6. MCU (Russian) SERGEI SAVINOV, A KHUZHIR VILLAGE RESIDENT, SAYING "In principle there is nobody to vote for. And as for Putin, it doesn't matter whether I vote for somebody or against all, Putin will stay, there is no doubt about that." 0.58 7. SV SERGEI SAVINOV CUTTING WOOD 1.09 8. SV OLGA SAVINOVA CUTTING FISH IN THE KITCHEN 1.13 9. MCU SERGEI SAVINOV DRINKING TEA 1.20 10. MCU (Russian) OLGA SAVINOVA, WIFE OF SERGEI, SAYING: "A 'good tomorrow' will not come soon. Our main problem is electricity, we don't have it and all house wives here to do everything with their hands - to wash clothes for example. Our refrigerators don't work; in winter we store food outside, in the summer we can't store anything." 1.40 11. SV SAVINOV FAMILY AT TABLE 1.49 12. SLV EXTERIOR OF THE LOCAL DIESEL STATION WHICH RUNS A ELECTRICITY GENERATOR (2 SHOTS) 1.56 13. SV MAN OPERATING DIESEL POWERED ELECTRICITY STATION 2.01 14. CU DIESEL STATION MACHINERY WORKING 2.07 15. SLV EXTERIOR OF A VILLAGE HOUSE 2.12 16. MCU (Russian) GEORGY BRYANSKI, KHUZHIR VILLAGE MAYOR, SAYING "If we vote for the Communists here on the island, then those in power will say: "Oh, they voted for Communists, then why should we provide them with electricity?" and then who will finance us? And then people will understand that they should vote for the party of power and those who are with it." 2.31 17. LV HORSE PULLING SLEDGE ACROSS FROZEN LAKE BAIKAL 2.38 (W2) IRKUTSK, RUSSIA (RECENT - FEBRUARY 28-29, 2004) (REUTERS) 18. SLV PEOPLE WALKING BY THE STREET MARKET 2.45 19. SV WOMAN SELLING FISH 2.50 20. SLV OF NATIONAL BOLSHEVIK PARTY PROTEST 2.55 21. SV MAN HOLDING POSTER SHOWING A PORTRAIT OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN CROSSED OUT AND WORDS SAYING "RUSSIA WITHOUT PUTIN", "DON'T VOTE" 2.59 22. CU NATIONAL BOLSHEVIK ARM BAND WITH HAMMER AND SICKLE INSIGNIA 3.02 23. SV BOY SELLING NATIONAL BOLSHEVIK NEWSPAPER 3.08 24. SV OF NATIONAL BOLSHEVIK PROTEST/ BOARD SHOWING CAMPAIGN FOR A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, SERGEI MIRONOV, IN THE BACKGROUND 3.12 25. SLV MONUMENT TO A SUKHOI MILITARY JET OUTSIDE SUKHOI PLANT 3.17 26. LV OF MAIN SUKHOI PLANT ASSEMBLY LINE 3.22 27. SLV WORKERS ASSEMBLING AN SU-30 FIGHTER JET 3.27 28. SV WOMAN JUMPING DOWN FROM FUSELAGE OF PLANE 3.34 29. MCU (Russian) OLEG, A PLANT WORKER, SAYING: "I will not vote for Putin. Why? because in the past I served in the military in the North Caucasus and I see that in the years that have passed since then nothing has changed." 4.03 30. SLV PLANE ON ASSEBLY LINE 4.08 31. SLV STREET MARKET 4.13 32. MCU WOMAN MARKET TRADER DRINKING TEA 4.19 33. SV CHINESE TRADERS AT THE MARKET 4.25 34. MCU (Russian) SAMARA, A MARKET TRADER, SAYING: "I want Putin to be a President as before." 4.35 35. SLV CHINESE TRADER PULLING CART 4.40 36. SLV STREET TRAFFIC 4.51 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 26th March 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: OLKHON ISLAND, LAKE BAIKAL AND IRKUTSK, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Reuters ID: LVAS5DYZC5DY44P7ARG76X4JC3G
- Story Text: Russia gears up for presidential polls but some
voters in Siberia see no prospect of a better life.
This is Olkhon island in eastern Siberia, about
5,000 km (3,500 miles) east of Moscow.
Imprisoned by shifting ice in winter and stormy waters
in summer, the inhabitants of this tiny Siberian island in
the world's deepest lake have given up hope of a better
future and they blame Russia's leaders.
Sergei Savinov is a fisherman, trying to make ends
meet, trawling the waters of Lake Baikal. A former army
officer with a severe, chiselled face, Savinov is one of
the many islanders who fear their hardships will remain
unrelieved after Russia's March 14 presidential election in
which President Vladimir Putin is certain to win a second
term.
"In principle there is nobody to vote for. And as for
Putin, it doesn't matter whether I vote for someone or
against all (candidates), Putin will stay, there is no
doubt about that," said Savinov.
Savinov, like many on Olkhon, feeds his family by
spending hours in "the sea" in pursuit of the rare omul
fish indigenous to Baikal, a giant lake holding a fifth of
the world's fresh water.
Putin's vows to combat poverty, fix slum housing and
rotting communal systems propelled him to power four years
ago.
His popularity has stayed above 70 percent although a
third of Russia's 145 million population still lives below
the poverty line and entire towns in the far-flung regions
of Siberia survive without electricity and proper heating.
"A 'good tomorrow' will not come soon," said Sergei's
wife, Olga Savinova. She then laments a life without
electricity. "Our main problem is electricity, we don't
have it and all house wives here to do everything with
their hands - to wash clothes for example. Our
refrigerators don't work; in winter we store food outside,
in the summer we can't store anything," said Savinova.
Most Olkhon residents are more concerned with
day-to-day chores than big politics in Moscow.
The mayor of Khuzhir, Georgy Bryansky, says all that he
and the villagers want is electricity, and he doesn't
believe that Putin can improve anything. But despite facing
continued hardships, Bryansky remains pragmatic, saying a
vote against Putin may provoke a tough reaction from the
centre of power.
"If we vote for the Communists here on the island,
then those in power will say: "Oh, they voted for the
Communists, then why should we provide them with
electricity?" and then who will finance us? And then people
will understand that they should vote for the party of
power and those who are with it," said Bryansky.
Regional authorities have for years promised to extend
power lines to the island. Its 2,000 inhabitants are
currently supplied by crumbling diesel-powered power plants
that give a few hours of electricity on a good day.
Away from the Olkhon island community, views about the
upcoming presidential election are not much different.
Irkutsk is the largest urban centre in the region,
south of Baikal, and home to one of Russia's major aircraft
manufacturers, Irkut.
But the prosperity that would automatically be
associated with such a high profile industry is not
immediately visible in Irkutsk, with a population of 2.4
million people.
There are grumblings of discontent in Irkutsk too and
campaigns by Putin's opponents who appeal to voters to
boycott the March 14 poll.
"I will not vote for Putin, because in the past I
served in the military in the North Caucasus and I see that
in the years that have passed since then nothing has
changed there," said Oleg, a worker at the Irkut aviation
plant.
Russia's National Bolshevik party, a fringe nationalist
group, has been campaigning in Irkutsk and other urban
centres, calling on voters not to vote for President Putin.
No one can seemingly stop President Putin's re-election
rollercoast
er and few people think any boycott call will
wreck an election for which opinion polls credit Putin with
about 80 percent support.
But with public apathy also high now that relentless
Kremlin efforts to ensure Putin's re-election have made the
result a foregone conclusion, a low turnout could dampen
Putin's victory mood and even cause him more serious
embarrassment.
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