The defeat of the Buryat Social Revolutionaries: Bair Garmaev chooses blue
The Just Russia – For Truth party in Buryatia suffers losses – on February 20, one of the most prominent members of the republican cell suddenly defected to United Russia. The proposal to move to a prominent businessman Bair Garmaev was personally made by the head of Buryatia Alexei Tsydenov, and he immediately agreed.
The co-owner of the Baris chain of stores, the Forum shopping center and other assets significant for Buryatia was one of the five representatives of SR in Khural. Now there are four of them left – given that the convocation included six Social Revolutionaries, it turns out that in five years the cell of Irinchey Matkhanov lost a third of the mandates. However, he himself managed to lose all influence and power in the party.
Garmaev’s transition, of course, did not happen at an audience with Tsydenov, but was discussed and agreed in advance, but the complete absence of drains, traditional in such cases (take, for example, the situation with the change in leadership of the administration of the head of Buryatia) suggests that the operation was carried out under the strictest secrecy. This adds weight and scope to the political course. Thus, the party in power enters the campaign for the election of deputies of the People’s Khural, which will be held in September 2023, with an impressive bid.
In fact, he takes the door off his feet – while others are just starting to prepare.
The value of Bair Garmaev is that he is not just a recognizable deputy who will be elected without any problems in his single-mandate constituency No. 31, but also a “purse” for any political force in which he is a member. So, if the official income of 36.5 million rubles makes him one of the richest Khuralians for 2021, then the 150 (!) Millions brought to the “family budget” by his wife make Garmaev the richest people’s choice in Buryatia.
And these are just the “white” figures that we see in the official declaration. Adult children, other relatives and business partners, on whom the assets of the deputy’s empire are rewritten, help him not to “shine” with completely obscene amounts. But, of course, nothing can be hidden from the Square of the Soviets. And from some other, much less public organizations that serve the good of the fatherland. By the way, it was the channels connected with law enforcement agencies who were the first to report on the “transfer” of Garmaev from one party to another.
It is not so important what exactly caused the transition – the fear of losing acquired wealth or the promise to increase it. The fact is that “United Russia” in Buryatia is moving towards an aggressive consolidation of the most attractive political assets for it. And what to use for these purposes – a stick or a carrot – depends on the negotiability of each individual candidate.
For Garmaev, this transition does not significantly change anything – a reliable financial situation would ensure his election even from the “Pensioners of Russia”. He never strove for power within the Khural – a committee salary of 250,000 rubles a month would not surprise him, and he had influence even without any regalia. Probably, the preferential part of the deal lies for him in a completely different plane – non-public.
Whether it is the threat of losing business or, on the contrary, leverage for expansion.
As for the “Fair Russia”, it still has at least two financial “pillars” – the new leader of the branch, Sergei Pashinsky and Viktor Yachmenev, one of the richest deputies of the Khural, at the expense of his own assets, and not transferred to his wife. Both are businessmen, and sooner or later both will fall into the same conflict as their former now party member.
Only Irinchey Matkhanov and Vitaly Lygdenov remain. The former quarreled with the central office of the party and was forced to cede power in the branch, which reduces his motivation to be elected to the Khural almost to zero; rumors of health problems do not help the situation.
The second one already betrayed the Socialist-Revolutionaries without any special offers – before the 2018 elections, he defected to United Russia, and then was caught helping a Chinese company that intended to massively cut down and export forests from Buryatia. Disgracefully expelled from the lists of candidates, Lygdenov returned to the “SR”, but he is of no value to it – he has neither money nor a name in the republic.
The Republican cell, thus, crumbles to dust right before our eyes. The central office, headed by Zakhar Prilepin, will apparently have to arrange a complete reset in the republic. Fortunately, he already has a ready-made new leader – if Oksana Bukholtseva, who is popular in Buryatia, returns from the Donbass for anything, it is in order to return her native party to its former weight and strength.