Nationalist presidential candidate Alexei Sukhorukov said today that he “would put every last bit of energy into the next two weeks of the campaign” and try to “make history come true again” after forcing a run off vote in the presidential election. Mr Sukhorukov and his Nationalist Party knocked Béspura governor Katrina Fischer out of the election last night when the final votes were counted. Ms Fischer failed to overcome the challenge from the Nationalists by just 2% of the vote with her Coalition Party recording 24% to Mr Sukhorukov’s 26%. Ivan Tattar, the Unionist candidate, posted 48% and is now the overwhelming favourite to win the presidency on November 17 when the run-off will take place.
Mr Tattar had been hopeful of winning a majority in the first round but after the results from Amar and Béspura were announced he only increased his lead by 1% and fell short of the 50% required to avoid a run-off. The Nationalists made significant gains in Amar – which was also reflected in the governor’s election within the state where a third recount is now underway and where the Nationalists divided the vote of both the Unionists and the Coalition. In Béspura the Unionist result was much clearer but Ms Fischer also recorded a strong result – but it was not enough to eclipse Mr Sukhorukov’s strong showing in Chimsk and Yevcimir where he took significant votes away from the Coalition.
Coalition insiders have called the result a ‘disaster’ for the party and some commentators have suggested the result may be a reflection of people’s current satisfaction with the government of Asta Dahn, the party leader. Dahn was only present on the campaign within its final week – a scenario that some party officials have described as “too little, too late”. Dahn is yet to speak publicly about the election, but the First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Lebedev was touring broadcast studios this morning and said “the government was listening and changes need to be made”. In a concession speech Fischer said that she had “tried to show a different way forward through the election” and had done her “utmost to take a positive message to the country” but admitted she had “fallen short”. She was also succeeded last night as governor of Béspura by former Unionist minister and now governor-elect Akim Veselov, who defeated former Prime Minister and presidential candidate Marina Yanaka, who has said she will now ‘end her political career for good’.
Ms Fischer’s performance as the party’s presidential candidate is now under the microscope, particularly given the significant result in Amar for the party, where former Foreign Minister Dimochka Yakushkin has run Arvi mayor Taras Illyushin extraordinarily close in a state that was considered safe for the Unionists. A low turnout has been blamed by some for the national result, but close advisors to Ms Fischer and the campaign have privately said that “there was no strategy – no idea of who our voters really were. We have haemorrhaged votes across the board and ended up with the worst result on record for our party. This is nothing short of a massive own goal”.
Mr Sukhorukov and Mr Tattar will now continue their campaigns for the next two weeks until Sunday 17 when a new vote will take place. Many believe turnout may well fall below the record low posted on Sunday where just 65% of people voted across the country. Ms Fischer is yet to announce whether she will endorse a candidate in the race.
