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Russian Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Ephemera: a finding aid

Folder 1.5 - Spravedlivaia Rossiia / A Just Russia

Booklets - 2

One booklet entitled "Piat' shagov k spravedlivosti" / Пять шагов к справедливости ('Five steps to justice'), refers to the five years of JR activities from its creation in 2011 to the current year 2016. Each step marks some accomplishment in the past or some idea for the future. The booklet features a number of photographs of prominent party figures in various settings.

The second booklet addresses issues in residential development and housing as presented by the Moscow regional party candidates Galina Khovanskaia and Gennadii Gudkov.

Bookmarks - 1

The bookmark has the party logo along with the slogan "Podderzhim invalidov!" / Поддержим инвалидов! '('Let's support persons with disabilities!')

Flyers - 2

One flyer is a replica of the ballot showing "How to vote for A Just Russia" - by marking the #1 position in the ballot. The caption reads: "Bud' pervym, ne bud' shesterkoi!" / Будь первым! Не будь шeстеркой! ('Be the first one, don't be a nobody') referring to the position numbers of JR (#1) vs. Edinaia Rossiia (#6) on the same ballot. "Shesterka" means number 6; at the same time it is a colloquialism for somebody with no personal voice or will, the lowest ranking servant. The origin of the word "shesterka" is prison jargon.

The other flyer features a photograph of Gennadii Gudkov with the caption "Voditelia v obidu ne dam!" / (Водителя в обиду не дам! ('I will protect drivers!') The flyer text has a list of twelve rules (twelve "commandments") of safe behavior on the road. It also includes contact information for the transport police in the Moscow region.

Newspapers - 9

All newspapers but one concern the election campaign in Moscow and the Moscow region; one newspaper seems to be non-regional. They all are tabloid size and dated between Nov 1 and Nov 25, 2011. All newspapers carry the party logo.

The banners include: "Vstavai strana ogromnaia!" / Вставай, страна огромная! ('Rise up, Great Country!'); "Za nami Moskva!" / За нами Мoсква! ('Moscow is behind us!'); "Za vlast' bez zhulikov i vorov!" / За власть без жуликов и воров! ('For leadership without crooks and thieves!'); and "My za Rossiiu bez zhulikov i vorov" / Мы за Россию без жуликов и воров! ('We are for a Russia without crooks and thieves!').

The first banner uses the opening line of the song "Sviashchennaia Voina" / Священная война ('The Sacred War'), also known as "Vstavai strana ogromnaia!" / Вставай, страна огромная! ('Arise, Great Country!') which is the most famous Russian song of the Great Patriotic War (World War II). The second banner is also a popular war-time catchphrase that dates back to the Battle of Moscow in December 1941.

The issue of Nov 3 is entitled "Moskva - vremia vybora" / Москва – время выбора ('Moscow - it is time to make choices'). The issue presents three party candidates - G. Gudkov, G. Khovanskaia, and Nikita Krichevskii; photographs of all candidates are provided. An interview with Galina Khovanskaia is entitled "Glavnoe - eto liudi" / Главное – это люди ('People come first'). Noteworthy is the information about her strong ties with Moscow and about her father who was killed shortly before the end of WWII. An interview of Gennadii Gudkov is entitled "Gennadii Gudkov o sebe, sem'e i detiakh" / Геннадий Гудков о себе семье и детях ('Gennadii Gudkov on himself, his family and children') Both interviews have informal photos of the candidates. Other materials in the issue criticize the policies of the ruling party: "10 let Edinoi Rossii. Itogi" / 10 лет Единой России Итоги ('Ten years of Edinaia Rossiia. Results'); "Sam reshai, moskvich, kto vret, a kto b'etsia za narod!" / Сам решай, москвич, кто врет, а кто бьется за народ! ('Decide for yourself, muscovite, who is lying and who is fighting for the people'). Some of the materials address the differences in the political platforms of Edinaia Rossiia and Spravedlivaia Rossiia, such as an informational memo "Imitatsiia ili vybory? Kak ne podarit' svoi golos zhulikam i voram" / Имитация или выборы? Как не подарить свой голос жуликам и ворам ('Is this a real election or an imitation? How not to donate your vote to crooks and thieves'). The fillers include three political cartoons, a "political" crossword, and party slogans.

The issue of Nov 14 is entitled "Spravedlivaia Gazeta" / Справедливая Газета ('A Just Newspaper'). It has two articles. One article is signed by Gennadii Gudkov, "Doloi ZhKKh - zhulikov i vorov v zhilishchno-kommunal'nom khoziaistve!" / Долой ЖКХ – Жуликов Коммунального Хозяйства! ('Let's get rid of ZhKKh - they are crooks and thieves in the public utilities industry'). The second article is signed by Galina Khovanskaia / Галина Хованская. It is entitled "Mozhete li vy povliiat' na razmer oplaty zhil'ia?" / Можете ли вы повлиять на размер оплаты жилья? ('How can you influence your utility bills?'). The issue also contains information on specific Moscow city districts in which both candidates are endorsed.

The issue of Nov 17 is titled "Vybory v Bol'shom Gorode" / Выборы в Большом Городе ('Elections in the Big City') and consists entirely of comic strips on the subject relevant to life in Moscow, for instance, "Traffic Jams in the City", "Sex in the City", etc. with appropriate rhymed captions.

The issues of Nov 8 and Nov 18 present a number of the party nominees, among whom is Nikolai Levichev, whose photographs appear on the first page of both issues. Some of the titles include: "Levada-tsentr i VTsIOM ulichili vo lzhi?" / Левада-Центр и ВЦИОМ уличили во лжи? ('Have Levada Center and VTsIOM been caught lying?'), "Predateli razvorovali rodinu" / Предатели разворовали Родину ('Traitors looted the Motherland'), "Platnye uroki v shkolakh s 2012 goda" / Платные уроки в школах с 2012 года ('Courses will no longer be free starting in 2012') with the caption "Zakon o reforme biudzhetnykh uchrezhdenii grozit strashnymi posledstviiami" / Закон о реформе бюджетных учреждений грозит страшными последствиями ('Law on the reform of state-financed organizations'). These articles present many of the party nominees, among whom are Rimma Markova, Aleksandr Lomakin-Rumiantsev, Svetlana Goriacheva, Elena Drapeko, and Oksana Dmitrieva. A separate page has a supposedly entertaining story of attempted ballot fraud - the story is presented as a series of photographs in which a "bad" local elections committee official tells her "good" workers how to make fictitious ballots to benefit ER. Workers stop the fraud by sabotaging the directions of their boss. A short article on the results of the public opinion poll "Opros obshchestvennogo mneniia" / Опрос Общественного Мнения ('Public Opinion Poll') before Election Day shows the expected percentage of the votes for JR vs. ER, KPRF and LDPR with some analysis of the voters' reasoning on choosing what party to vote for.

The issues of Nov 1, Nov, 12, and Nov 25 are 8-page local editions (Moscow region) with a print run of 1,200,000 and have several similarities: They are entitled "SR Spravedlivaia Rossiia. Podmoskov'e" / СР Справедливая Россия. Подмосковье ('JR A Just Russia. Podmoskov'e'). They have photographs of Sergei Mironov on the first page and crosswords that occupy the entire last page.

Other materials include:

The issue of Nov 1 features interviews with and photographs of three candidates, namely, Natal'ia Borisovna Kuz'mina, Tat'iana Nikolaevna Moskal'kova, and Aleksandr Leonidovich Romanovich.

Two articles by Gennadii Gudkov are entitled "Raskhody na vlast'" / Расходы на власть ('The high cost of the authorities') with the subtitle "Rassledovanie" / Расследование ('Investigation') and "92 milliarda rublei ukradeno v Moscovskoi oblasti v 2009 godu. Nikto ne nakazan" / 92 млрд рублей украдено у Московской области в 2009 году. Никто не наказан ('92 billion rubles have been stolen from the Moscow region budget in 2009. Nobody has been punished yet').

The first article concerns the practice of purchasing luxury automobiles for federal and local administrations, including some factual information on the number of purchases vs. type of automobile vs. specific government organization.

The second article reviews a corruption investigation against the former finance minister of the Moscow region Aleksei Kuznetsov who, with the help of his wife Janna Bullock (Zhanna Bullakh), allegedly stole 92 billion rubles intended for regional projects of public importance during his years in office (2000-2008). At the time of publication neither Kuznetsov nor Bullock had been charged.

The issue of Nov 12 features interviews with the party candidates Tat'iana Moskal'kova, Anatolii Knyshov, Natal'ia Kuz'mina, and Aleksandr Romanovich on subjects of their expertise. Another article describes the differences between JR and ER in voting on socially significant issues in the previous Duma.

The issue of Nov 25 has a questionnaire entitled "Proidite test i uznaite za kogo golosovat' 4 dekabria" / Пройдите тест и узнайте за кого голосовать 4 декабря ('Take this test and learn who you should vote for on December 4'). One article deals with ways to prevent fraud on the Election Day "Partiia Spravedlivaia Rossiia smozhet predotvratit' massovyi vbros biulletenei" / Партия Справедливая Россия сможет предотвратить массовый вброс бюллетеней ('A Just Russia can prevent ballot box stuffing').

The rest of the materials constitute articles by Gennadii Gudkov and Sergei Mironov criticizing the social program of ER.

An issue of the newspaper Spravedlivaia Rossiia, dated Nov 18, 2011, with the subtitle "Nash dom Podmoskov'e" / Наш дом Подмосковье ('Podmoskov'e is our home') is a 4-page Moscow region local edition. Articles presented in the issue are of practical importance to the voters in their everyday life: an analytical paper on property ownership - advantages and disadvantages under the contemporary law "Sobstvennost' na zhil'e - blago ili bremia?" / Собственность на жилье – благо или бремя? ('Owning real estate - a benefit or a burden?'), an article by Sergei Ivanovich Nefedov, "Kto budet slushat' zemel'nykh dol'shchikov?" / Кто будет слушать земельных дольщиков? ('Who will listen to property owners?'), and about distribution of free medical supplies, "Vse, chto vy dolzhny znat' o besplatnykh lekarstvakh" / Все, что вы должны знать о бесплатных лекарствах ('All you need to know about free-of-charge medicine'). Two articles by Tat'iana Moskal'kova discuss issues of commercialization of K-12 education "Obrazovanie stanovitsia platnym" / Образование становится платным ('Education is no longer free') and unjustified privileges given to bureaucrats "Neprikasaemye" / Неприкасаемые ('The untouchables').