Corruption plagues mayor’s race in cosmonaut city
The first ever mayor’s race in Russia’s Star City — the cosmonaut training town which until recently was a military facility until recently but is still largely closed to outsiders — did not go so well. For one thing, the winner is already under arrest: The winning candidate, Nikolai Rybkin, a former deputy director of ...
The first ever mayor's race in Russia's Star City -- the cosmonaut training town which until recently was a military facility until recently but is still largely closed to outsiders -- did not go so well. For one thing, the winner is already under arrest:
The first ever mayor’s race in Russia’s Star City — the cosmonaut training town which until recently was a military facility until recently but is still largely closed to outsiders — did not go so well. For one thing, the winner is already under arrest:
The winning candidate, Nikolai Rybkin, a former deputy director of the cosmonaut training center, was arrested four days before the June 28 elections. Nevertheless, he won 82.6 percent of the vote, according to a tally on the Central Elections Commission’s web site.
Rybkin, a retired FSB colonel, ran as an independent candidate. Runner-up Nikolai Yumanov, an adviser to the United Russia mayor of Shchyolkovo, gained 11.4 percent of the votes. Oleg Sokovikov, who finished third with 2.6 percent, is an assistant of United Russia State Duma Deputy Vladimir Pekarev.
The arrest even boosted Rybkin’s voting tally, Vladimir Reznikov, a member of his campaign team, said by telephone from Star City. “The preliminary rating was a little bit lower,” he said.
Rybkin’s lawyer, Roman Smadich, said Monday that the elections were legal.[…]
Rybkin is being investigated on smuggling charges involving a company called Rosmoravia that allegedly smuggled Chinese goods into Russia via its northwestern borders. Investigators said he was among Rosmoravia’s founders.
Rybkin’s legal difficulties notwithstanding, the dismal showing by Yumoanov and Sokovikov are also an embarassment for Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party. If Rybkin is still unable to perform his duties after three months — hard to do when you’re in jail — President Dmitry Medvedev can dismiss him.
Star City was founded in 1960 as a training center for cosmonauts. Though it’s just 30 kilometers from Moscow, for years during the Soviet era, it didn’t appear on any official maps.
Now it may be giving Olympic city Shochi a run for it’s money as the world’s strangest mayor’s race.
Photo: Radio Nederland Wereldomroep via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
More from Foreign Policy
Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.
The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.
Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.
How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
