28 November 2007, 17:40
Farid Babaev: campaign of the party in power in Dagestan rests exclusively on the "administrative resource"
Leader of the Dagestan regional branch of the "Yabloko" Party Farid Babaev, who died on November 24 from gunshot wounds, had stated, not long before the attempt on his life, answering the questions of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the pre-election campaign of the party in power in Dagestan reposes only on the use of the so-called "administrative resource". Here are some quotations from his interview:
"...Unlike our Party, all other parties are built into the system of local power. Even the most, apparently, oppositional of them are trying to win consent with the Republic's power. The basic aim of these parties, or, to be more exact, of their 'cores party members' is to move into power. That is, not to take power and try to change it in conformity with their partisan views, but to squeeze into it for solving one's personal career problems. Degradation of the party system is obvious.
The global task is to achieve such power, which would positively react to criticism of the opposition and could keep dialogue therewith. I'm more than sure that this hypocrisy and repugnance of the Republic's authorities, their permissiveness, unwillingness to hear criticism and thievishness are pushing people into the ranks of armed opposition.
...The electoral campaign just can't be fair in Dagestan, since should it be fair, the Republic's leaders will simply fall off. They use censorship on TV and in the press, as a result our record at the debates was not put on air by the local GTRK Channel; it was not printed, and they'll hardly print pre-electoral materials in the 'Molodezh Dagestana' (Youth of Dagestan) newspaper. These are still flowerets, fruits will follow."
Author: Timur Isayev, CK correspondent
