Luzhkov Candidate

Former owner of the construction company SU-155, Moscow City Duma deputy Mikhail Balakin, who was nominated for the mayoral election in Moscow, will personify the team of ex-head of the city Yury Luzhkov and his wife Elena Baturina during the campaign in order to advantageously shade the current mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, RBC is a source close to the Moscow mayor's office, and the interlocutor close to the Kremlin confirmed. Such a concept was proposed by political technologists cooperating with the city authorities and approved by the city authorities, a source close to the Kremlin specified. Balakin's nomination also occurred on the initiative of the Moscow mayor's office, both of RBC's interlocutors said.

The former owner of SU-155 was nominated for elections from the party "Union of Citizens". She is included in the pool of political strategist Andrei Bogdanov, who is known for creating numerous spoiler political projects. Balakin - the only candidate from non-parliamentary parties, who overcame the municipal filter, collecting signatures of municipal deputies.

The ex-head of the SU-155 is assigned to a specific role in the campaign, RBC's interlocutor, close to the mayor's office, says. "In the media space, it will be positioned as a candidate for the" old ", Luzhkov's Moscow with its corruption, pinpoint buildings, deceived interest holders and other problems, will promote the thesis that Luzhkov and Baturina are again rushing to power," he explains. Voters should get the impression that "there is a struggle between the" old "and the" new "Moscow, and in this struggle Sobyaninskaya Moscow with its bicycle paths, cleanliness, beautiful and comfortable center" looks advantageous, represents a modern city, "concludes RBC's interlocutor, close to the mayor's office.

Earlier that Balakin "can profitably shade Sobyanin and play the role of an anti-hero," said a source close to the presidential administration, "Vedomosti."

It is planned to promote the topic of "Luzhkov" candidate Balakin through telegram channels, collaborating with the mayor's office and loyal media, explain both sources of RBC. The topic has already begun to be developed in the public space, through a number of telegram channels and some media.

In addition, on July 5, a telegram channel appeared entitled "Luzhkovsky candidate", in which it was reported that he was led by Balakin himself.

"Many for some reason wrote that I was a candidate from Elena Baturina. I am neutral towards Elena Nikolaevna, but this is not true. At the same time, I really am from the old Luzhkov team, I owe a lot to Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov and I think he did a lot for the development of our beloved city. Therefore the name of this channel is just kind of comic. I really consider myself a supporter of Luzhkov's Moscow, "the author writes.

The candidate promises "not only to make some policy statements, but also just to share memories of his work in Moscow."

Balakin himself told RBC that the telegram channel "Luzhkovsky Candidate" was really going on. "All the texts are written either by me or from my words," he said.

"Yuri Mikhailovich is a block," says the ex-head of the SU-155. - He made brilliant decisions to ensure cleanliness in the city, to make Moscow a European city. I am proud that I was awarded the title of "Luzhkov's candidate."

At the same time, Balakin denies that his role in the election campaign is beneficial to depict Sobyanin, personifying the Luzhkov-Baturin era. "I am a self-sufficient person. I have my own program, my opinion on the activities of today's government, "he told RBC.

Luzhkov himself also has nothing to do with his nomination and he did not discuss his participation in the elections with the ex-mayor, the ex-head of the SU-155 stressed.

The spokesman for Luzhkov and Baturina, Gennady Terebkov, called "outright lies" information that the family of the former mayor supported any of the candidates. "Elena N. Baturina is developing business in the West, Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov is implementing an agricultural project in the Kaliningrad region. They have no plans to participate in these elections, "he told RBC. According to Terebkov, those who launch such "false news" should "get rid of phantom pains and stop constantly seeing the shadow of Yuri Luzhkov."

The pledge of obtaining votes in elections should be "real achievements for the benefit of Muscovites", "and not attempts to build campaigns on a permanent comparison of their actions with Luzhkov," concluded the representative of the former mayor.

Fictional threat

The invented "Luzhkov threat" is necessary for the campaign to bring in at least some intrigue, says a source close to the Kremlin. "This is some kind of, but drive and HYIP," - adds an interlocutor, close to the Moscow authorities. "After the elections everyone will be explained that Luzhkov was torn to power and he was stopped only in Khimki. And the Muscovites are imbued and made their choice [in favor of Sobyanin], "comments a source close to the Kremlin.

The calculation is made, among other things, to the fact that Balakin will evoke negative emotions in the voters, since a negative train trails him in the form of deceived co-investors, one of the interlocutors of RBC explains. Another function of the candidate is to insure against the disruption of the election in the event of the withdrawal of the remaining candidates from the race, the sources of RBC noted.

Michael Balakin in the early 2000s worked in the Moscow City Hall, in 2005 he left at his own request, becoming chairman of the board of directors of SU-155, which became the largest builder of housing in Russia. Prosperity builder contributed greatly to the ties Balakin with Luzhkov and Baturina. The wife of the ex-mayor of Moscow headed the company Inteko, which closely cooperated with the SU-155.

In 2014, the developer began defaulting, a year later the state took SU-155 for refurbishment. By that time, the company had 27 thousand defrauded co-investors. In 2015, Sberbank sued the Moscow Arbitration Court demanding that Balakin be declared bankrupt. The next meeting on this case is scheduled for July 19.

Balakin himself "as a reward" for participating in the elections mayor's office may give an opportunity to re-elect the Moscow City Duma next year; most likely, for the ex-head of the SU-155 will keep his current district in New Moscow, said a source close to the authorities of the capital RBC.

It is unlikely that Balakin would have collected the signatures of the municipal deputies without the controlling municipal filter of "United Russia" and Sobyanin himself, told RBC deputy head of the political conjuncture Oleg Ignatov.

"The topic with his participation in the elections seems to be a" heat rocket "to create an intrigue that the representative of the Luzhkov team is involved in the campaign," the political scientist thinks. There is no real political intrigue in the elections due to the lack of strong opponents from Sobyanin, but an artificial intrigue has been created about the conflict with the former elites, although there is no Luzhkov team in Moscow for a long time, as they do not have the opportunity to go through the municipal filter, the expert explains. At the same time, he doubts that Balakin will conduct a real active campaign.

Elections of the mayor of Moscow will be held in the Russian capital on September 9, on a single voting day. In addition to the current mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Mikhail Balakin, registration filters are overcome by Ilya Sviridov, a candidate for mayors from Just Russia, Mikhail Degtyarev, State Duma deputy from the Liberal Democratic Party, and Communist Vadim Kumin.