Sinking LDPR: the departure from the "yellow-blue" ship continues
The Krasnoyarsk branch of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia is currently facing challenging times. Well-known politicians are leaving the party, and the local leadership is struggling to overcome the crisis and lacks innovative ideas.
Minus Kuznetsov
Recently, it was revealed that Achinsk City Council deputy Dmitry Kuznetsov has chosen to leave the Liberal Democratic Party. He submitted a statement to the regional branch of the party and to the apparatus of the local parliament. He did not disclose the actual reasons for his departure, citing only the charter of the political association.
It's worth remembering that in 2020, Dmitry Kuznetsov from Krasnoyarsk entered the political arena of Achinsk just before the by-elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the elections to the Achinsk City Council. While he lost in the regional campaign to United Russia party Vladimir Chernyshenko, Kuznetsov secured a place in the Achinsk city council through the party list, thanks to Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who traditionally headed this list for the Liberal Democratic Party.
A year later, Kuznetsov attempted to enter the Legislative Assembly once again as part of a comprehensive election campaign for the election of deputies of the new convocation, only to once again lose to Chernyshenko.
Following this, the LDPR member significantly decreased his political involvement. He began attending sessions and commissions less frequently, ceased participating in the acceptance of improvement and repair facilities, and eventually decided to simply exit the party. Consequently, this signifies the loss of a seat in the Achinsk City Council, as he was elected from the party list.
Nonetheless, it's plausible that Dmitry Kuznetsov is not concluding his political career but instead preparing for a new phase. As the saying goes, if you can't defeat United Russia, then join United Russia yourself.
– Another departure from the Liberal Democratic Party. Dmitry Kuznetsov submitted a statement about leaving the party. Dmitry, come to us, – Elena Penzina, a representative of United Russia in the regional Legislative Assembly, reacted prominently to the departure of the Achinsk deputy.
Elena Evgenievna knows what she is talking about – a year ago, on the eve of elections to the regional parliament, the LDPR lost Alexei Kulesh. In the new convocation, he took charge of the committee on housing and communal services as a member of the United Russia party faction.
It's worth noting that Kulesh's departure foreshadowed the impending crisis for the Liberal Democratic Party.
“There are few real violent ones – so there are no leaders”
Following the official confirmation of the passing of Vladimir Zhirinovsky in April 2022, it became evident that the Liberal Democratic Party would encounter difficult times – parties of the charismatic leader type usually do not survive for long after the leader's passing.
However, in Krasnoyarsk, a party crisis emerged even prior to Vladimir Volfovich's departure – in December 2021, precisely on New Year’s Eve, the vice-speaker of the regional Legislative Assembly and LDPR deputy Sergey Natarov was arrested. The politician, who is suspected of involvement in eight cases of misappropriation or embezzlement, was placed in pre-trial detention, where he remains.
Natarov is very important and he is considered the main architect of the Liberal Democratic Party in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
He created a successful political project that was highly valued by the federal elite of the liberal democrats. In 2021, Natarov became the party supervisor in the neighboring Irkutsk region.
However, during last year's elections, the Krasnoyarsk “yellow-blue” group fell apart as business started to become more important than politics. This led to Natarov losing his position as a State Duma deputy and the protection that came with it, ultimately resulting in his pre-trial detention.
It was expected that after Natarov's loss, Alexander Gliskov, the head of the LDPR faction in the regional Legislative Assembly, would take over the party leadership. However, Gliskov chose not to take on this potentially risky role and instead continues to actively participate in Legislative Assembly sessions and post on the telegram channel.
As a result, a relatively unknown deputy of the Krasnoyarsk City Council, Semyon Sendersky, became the party leader.
Even Klishas was surprised
Formally, 33-year-old Sendersky has been the coordinator and head of the staff of the Krasnoyarsk branch of the Liberal Democratic Party since 2016. However, until recently, he was in the shadow of Sergei Natarov. When Natarov was a State Duma deputy, Sendersky was his assistant. After Natarov's arrest, the young party coordinator had to demonstrate his leadership abilities, which have not been very successful so far.
In early July, Sendersky made a video message announcing the first memorial call to the Liberal Democratic Party in honor of their founder and leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky. The video has 800 views and 5 likes.
However, Sendersky quickly gained fame and appeared on the federal agenda. He took the initiative to make the authors of anonymous Telegram channels liable and sent a request to the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation.
Sendersky explained, “It is necessary to hold the authors of the channels accountable to prevent misinformation and make people aware that such behavior can be prosecuted.” The Krasnoyarsk politician's initiative gained widespread attention on the Web and reached Senator Andrei Klishas from the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
United Russia member Klishas, who is known for creating restrictive laws, criticized the LDPR member, suggesting that Sendersky should focus on current issues in the city of Krasnoyarsk.
The LDPR in Krasnoyarsk is going through tough times. Well-known politicians are leaving the party, and the local leadership is struggling to find solutions to the crisis and lacks innovative ideas. – printed Clishas.
