Слушать  Записать  Мастер-Класс  О проекте

Подкасты  Podscriptum  Доки  Звук Вокруг  Коллекция  Карта звуков

 автор: Alenakis     добавлено: 22 февраля 2012, 17:41 © free

За свою работу они не получают ни копейки. В этом сезоне у них всего 2 (в крайнем случае - 3) рабочих дня, хотя продолжаться они могут по 12, 18 или даже 24 часа каждый. Работа - стоячая и нервная: необходимо целый день смотреть за голосовательными урнами на участках, за  бюллютенями, комиссией и избирателями - то есть следить за законностью хода выборов. Все это делают наблюдатели. Главное их оружие - жалобы - ну и в крайнем случае звонок в полицию.  На думских выборах в Москве их было всего 500 человек (только лишь 5% избирательных участков было "прикрыто" наблюдателями), задача максимум на президентские - поставить по 3 человека на каждый участок.
Эта программа была записана 4 декабря во время "рейда" мобильной группы наблюдателей. Подробно о том, что происходило на избирательных участках, фигурирующих в программе, можно узнать на сайте проекта "Гражданин наблюдатель": УИК 139 (р-он Пролетарской), УИК 2652 (Раменки) и УИК 1434 (Марьино). Хр.: 25'05''

english translation available as well

In the early winter of 2011 in Russia held elections to the Duma. This event marked the beginning not only of political unrest, but also the start of civic engagement, especially among the young Russian intelligentsia, which had virtually no interest in politics. “I hadn't gone to the polling station for 10 years, but this time I went, and not only as a voter, but also as an observer” - says one of the main characters of the feature - a successful lawyer, father of four children, Demetrius.

The new trend of Russian elections is the growing amount of civilian observers. There where 500 of them in Moscow during the Duma elections in December, 2011, and more than 3000 at the presidential elections in March (and 10,000 throughout Russia). Who and why is spending their spare time, nerves and strength to resist the violation of the law during the voting and counting? Can this hard activity help to achieve fair and genuine results?

Recordings for the feature "Lets drive for the native land!" was made during the work of so-called "observer mobile group", which included driver, lawyers and journalists (volunteers only). The work of the observers, the mood of young people and of those, who can be attributed to post-perestroika generation, is described in this program through a personal story of a businessman and an experienced oppositionist Michail. During the short stops between the urgent calls to the polling stations he muses on how to combine business and civic activities; why the emigration is not possible for him, he also talks about elections, independent judiciary, Khodorkovsky and peaceful transformations in the country and reflects on decent people and his little grandson.

===============
SOUND: BALLOTS COUNTED (Just Russia, United Russia, United, Just, Yabloko, Just..)

NARRATOR
Yellow walls are covered with photos of smiling teenagers. Members of electoral commission sort ballots in the middle of corridor. Observers lean over and control them. Black pregnant cat comes in, looks around choosing the kindest one among us and climbs on our driver Michael's laps.

MICHAEL (whispering)
If United [Russia] scores 60% with such method of counting, I wouldn't know what to think. In Moscow, I mean. In Moscow.

NARRATOR
Misha sits on the table stroking the cat on the hackle not averting his eyes from the pile of ballots.

SOUND: POLLING STATION
Communists – 389, Yabloko – 227, United – 323, The Right Course – 11. We will make copies and hand them to you all. So that we make no mistake, put your hands up, those who need them? One, two….

NARRATOR
It is 5th December, 1 o'clock in the morning… By that time everyone was rejoicing internally. Observers had been keeping an eye on the voting process, ballot boxes and even on each other all day long. And here they are: clear and genuine results! Counted, packed and sealed. And nobody could falsify the vote tally or change them. Electoral commission representatives leave for the territorial commission to pass them the protocols, the rest of us leave home and only Michael's working-day is still in full swing: he is going to be driving observers home for half of night.

SOUND: POLLING STATION

NARRATOR
On the next morning many people refuse to trust in numbers posted on the Central election commission web-site: United Russia in our precinct has got 250 votes more and Yabloko has 200 votes less than it was written in our copies of protocols.

MUSIC

SOUND: POLLING STATION

OBSERVERS
- How did they manage to fit them in?
- Let's listen...

MUSIC

ANNOUNCEMENT: A week before elections
SOUND: TRAINING OF OBSERVES

LECTURER
You know, to tick 5 times – it takes time already. And if you see someone standing and ticking and ticking – it is visible. This is a process. It is obvious. So, make a row!

NARRATOR
There is still a week left before the elections to the Duma [the Parliament chamber] - it is enough time to get trained and become an observer: to listen to a 4-hour long lecture on legal issues, to leaf through the Election Law and get ready for 12-hour long voting marathon. Everybody is still full of energy and enthusiasm, ready to catch offenders red-handed, and not to let participants of the carrousel voting get out of their buses. There are a lot of students. Or former students who want to understand something important about our elections, about the country and about themselves.
SOUND: TRAINING OF OBSERVES

OBSERVERS
- Yes. Оh! (laughing)
- Collection of interjections....
- I wrote: ready to help, it's okay for me to go to Zelenograd [a Moscow suburb].

NARRATOR
A group of 4 people are exchanging telephone numbers in the corridor: they are going to observe the elections together in Zelenograd. Two engineers who had graduated from the same university in Moscow. A logistics expert. And a lawyer, who is also an architect and even mason. Freemason – as the future observers are joking.

OBSERVERS FROM ZELENOGRAD
STAS
Once in my life I took part in falsification myself. It was 5 years ago. But at that time I didn't give it a shit. And I saw how it works from the inside. And at that place where people really vote it's impossible to do something. There is no such thing that all of them come and vote [at one station], and after all I wrote '80%' to United Russia. And this inspired me greatly. .

ANDREY: I still want to find some kind of truth. Because really, I do not believe it myself. I cannot figure out whether or not there is a falsification.

DANIYL
In fact there isn't any pathos. The time has just come and everybody understands now that either we will fell down to the bottom or we need to do something. And we ought to try to do something within the framework of the law.

REPORTER: How do you think what will be the most difficult thing?

VICTOR
The most difficult is to stand the marathon, endurance. Plus, I realized that some falsifications would be done towards evening and people would be already tired with the “blurred eye”. So you need to display vigilance all the working-day. It's quite an exhausting work.
STAS: I 'm more interested in the question where a pirate state begins. For example, you say: I can observe. They say: no, you don't. Then a policeman comes and says: but you broke the law, you smashed a window. You say: No way! I didn't smash anything. And then he twists your arms and takes you out.

MUSIC

SOUND: OBSERVERS HEADQUARTER
Hallo! Hallo! Armyanskiy polling station, “carousel” voting, call... Take journalists with you. It's an observer's right to familiarize himself with...

NARRATOR
Sunday morning, 4 December. There is no inkling of a sun rise on the street. Polling stations will open in 30 minutes. We, a mobile group, are waiting for a mission in the headquarters coordinating the work of observers. A lawyer, a driver and two journalists are ready to go to the polling station where a conflict with observers cannot be resolved. Our first address is: Maryino [District], Batayskiy drive. Members of electoral commission are trying to expel observes from the polling station and to bar from a video recording.

SOUND: ENTRANCE TO THE SCHOOL

SOUND: SCHOOL

A HEAD OF ELECTORAL COMMISSION: Who of you has the mandates and who doesn't? And those who doesn't, please, leave! And those who are taking video or photos I ask you to leave the polling station according to law.

NARRATOR
A mobile group has no legal status at all. So not to annoy the policemen and the head of the electoral commission once again, our driver Michael had to go out. His rounded shape in gray knitted sweater is far seen in school corridor. Dimitry, the lawyer, ignoring a question who he is, stays to conduct negotiations between members of electoral commission and observers.

SOUND: POLLING STATION

A LAWYER DIMITRY: There must be places for observers.

A HEAD OF ELECTORAL COMMISSION: They are fixed.

NARRATOR
Misha and I are viewing a Russian Folk Chorus smarten themselves near a mirror and we are admiring the way Dimitry can "conciliate the commission" and not to be kicked out from the polling station.

SOUND: POLLING STATION, RUSSIAN FOLK CHORUS IS SINGING

MICHAEL
Well, I can't play the accordion, but I like to sing.... Once I got in a “cop shop” from a polling station in Moscow in 1989 when the first Congress of Soviets was elected. Generally speaking we were keeping an eye on the voters participation. In fact there was a real fighting. In several acts... And a number of members of electoral commission have carried out their duties and have taken away my chair. So I was on my feet for half a day. They have assigned for me such a square and yet they send me to a “cop shop”.
SOUND: POLLING STATION

NARRATOR
Michael is observing how a policeman with a help of a guard is trying to banish a young girl making an exit-poll on a school stairs. After a moment Misha asks them to name the law prohibiting such an exit-poll. He is insisting. Insisting a little bit louder. Not wanting to get involved with such a human rights activist, they let the young girl to go. And she vanishes in the cafeteria.

MICHAEL
She came in a cafeteria and was also expelled from there. But she is irresponsible....

NARRATOR
Actually, to stand for other people's rights is a usual thing for Michael: both as an activist of the “Solidarnost” movement, and with a poster in his hands during one-man picket, and collecting money for political prisoners.

REPORTER: What is your occupation except “Solidarnost”?

MICHAEL
In the ordinary life, you mean? I'm an owner of a few construction machines. Excuse me but I'm a businessman. However for the last 3 years my business is getting worse to put it mildly. But before that I was quite a prosperous businessman. .

REPORTER: Do those things exclude each other?

MICHAEL:
In fact, yes. Problems began with the crisis, may be a little earlier – 2007, 2006. Business affairs were going not bad, but they take 100% of your time. Business doesn't forgive distraction, it requires you to think about it all day long. It was 2007 or 2005 - there were some protest actions taking place – and I felt that I could not make myself to think about the business. I had a flight of fancy and it prevented me very much. I may say I suffered really losses. And the situation is hopeless now. Now it's not about the success of the business, but about its survival potential. Therefore, I am more absorbed in the business now and step back only for such occasions.

REPORTER: And what is more interesting for you? Or it's impossible...

MICHAEL: This is more interesting for me...

REPORTER: Elections?

MICHAEL: Not only elections, but also a social life. For me this is a struggle between good and evil. When I monitor all this, I'm very upset. And I want to be on a good's part.

REPORTER: How do you try to do a good will conquer?

MICHAEL
At first let's see what do I mean by “good”. This is a truth. That's when there is a truth in a country, an honest court and fair elections... why the evil is triumphing in our country now? There is no truth in this country, no independent court. I'm quite sure that to restore independent court is only possible if we have elections, freedom of speech and condition of people will be different than now. One cannot exist without another. An independent court cannot exist if a parliament is elected in a dishonest way. What is it to me? May be armed fight will be more radical, but I don't believe in it. I consider that something reasonable can happen here only in a peaceful way. Are we approaching to the truth? Figuratively, if a distance is 150 km and we are going by foot – this is the speed with which we are moving….

REPORTER: Have you ever thought about moving to this socio-political area?

MICHAEL
First of all I haven't got any possibility now, I have lots of commitments. That's why I don't plunge into this and work as hard as can. Perhaps it doesn't make me look good. As a citizen. Perhaps I ought to put my life to scaffold, to be imprisoned for a few years and to forget about everything – about my family and my home – and to gnaw this granite for everybody's prosperity? Perhaps everything would change for better? If only there were more passionate people like that…. But this is my side activity. I have such situation in my life now. There was a time, 5-6 years ago, when we were more desperate. Moreover here is a moral aspect. If you always occupy yourself with this activity – you are a professional. If you are a professional – you earn money with this, but it destroys my moral position. When somebody says to me that I'm here for pennies, I can reply: you know, guys, it is me who is investing. But then it will be another story. On the other hand, may be I can let things slide. I don't know.

NARRATOR
Dimitry comes back: all conflicts have been resolved, all complaints have been written. Books have been sealed and stitched as the law and the observers required. They even stopped to hand out small calendars with a symbol similar to the United Russia with the ballots. No more work for us here.

MUSIC (song from a cartoon “We are robbers...”)

SOUND: ENTRANCE TO THE SCHOOL

SOUND: POLLING STATION

DIMITRY, A LAWYER: Good day!

VLADIMIR, AN OBSERVER
So, about an expel of observer Andrey from the polling station. He called me the last time from Territorial Electoral Commission. He has submitted a complaint and now he is waiting for a decision.

DIMITRY, A LAWYER: All right. And what about you?

VLADIMIR, AN OBSERVER
About an hour ago it was decided to expel me based on the application of the head of electoral commission who declared that I interfered with the free expression of voter's will.

NARRATOR
Dimitry goes away to write a complaint. At that time Misha and I head for a canteen to drink a tea. With something tasty.

SOUND: IN CANTEEN

MICHAEL: Listen, would you care for a sandwich?

REPORTER: No, only tea.

MICHAEL: But I will. For me with sausage. For a young lady – only tea. But I only wanted one sandwich...

BARMAID: With cheese?

MICHAEL
Well, give me two! You looked at me and understood that this guy wouldn't walk away with only one sandwich.

BARMAID: I do feel. He wouldn't walk away. Pick up a sugar.

MICHAEL
I for the one hanged two huge portraits of Khodorkovsky on both sides of my car. And it's always something to talk about with the cops.

REPORTER: What exactly? How they hang?

MICHAEL
I hanged two portraits of Khodorkovsky measuring A4. That's why I have to take off tint coating from the rear side windows. I have a 4-wheel drive. They are watching on the street through the window. Very often people begin a conversation or point at them from the window. And once a policeman stopped me to check my papers – immediately a conversation starts – he returns my papers. It is not already interesting for him to check my documents, it's more interesting to talk about life. I can't say that in such a way I make a revolution in my country. But in this way I express my sympathy with the man. Khodorkovsky, I mean. And I think he is the most powerful person in this country. He is the only man, who was destroyed by whole state, but didn't break down. Exit?... It is there. My brother says: the exit is through Sheremetevo II. (laughing)

REPORTER: Have you ever thought about emigration?

MICHAEL
It's not that haven't at all. At first I have got some property overseas – I've bought a small apartment in Bulgaria on the sea shore. But I think I'll never intend. I'm so exhausted, I have seen better days. And now there isn't the best time in my life. I think I'll hardly be going to go away. Once again, not out of patriotism. Because of exhaustion. It's even better to lie down and die or to serve time in jail - it's easier for me than to pack up me belongings. Nevertheless, I understand those who are going to emigrate.

REPORTER: Well, there you wouldn't have to fight …

MICHAEL
Well, may be I would miss it. And excuse me but there is a foreign language. Unfamiliar environment. I'm almost sixty years old. And to get accustomed to this new life...here I have my business, my relatives. My small grandson is growing up here. I would like him to grow up and become such a person that will take an interest in all this. There are children and adults who are not curious. For example my small son, he is 14, he's absolutely not interesting in it. He stops all sorts of conversations, he says: it's not interesting for me. I'm very pity he is such a man, I hope my grandson will be more curious. .

SOUND: Hallo! 2585 В

MICHAEL
It was my younger brother whom I involved. He is as a driver there. He's the driver now, he is an interesting man, he's a little bit from the outside, but is going through. And he made me a call and said: indeed! How are they with us!? He understands everything. And as far as this social annoyance is accumulating within himself, I ask him no to keep it in himself. “Listen! Come to us and help us!” He called me once again and said: such bullshit planned! I ask him to come and help us. “Let’s drive for your native land?!” - I said. “All right, I'll drive!” I ask him if he understand that it could be for whole day and night. “Yes, there is no question!” And now hi is driving on his own car.

NARRATOR
While Michael and I are killing time in the school corridor turned into a fair during the period, expelled observer Andrey arrives at the polling station of voting.

SOUND: POLLING STATION

REPORTER: Good afternoon, Andrey, you have already came back?

ANDREY, AN OBSERVER
Yes, Territorial Electoral Commission (TEC) decided to accept my complaint in TEC justified and to oblige the head of electoral commission to bring me back to the polling station. And they grant me the decision of the Territorial Commission. In other words I applied to Territorial Electoral Commission but I was waiting for 3 hours. A queue isn't so large... they are working quite slowly. In front of me in the queue there was a girl from the Communist party, who was also kicked out for ... well, as usual, she hampered a member of the electoral commission....

MUSIC
SOUND: POLLING STATION

GUARD: Wait here!

OBSERVER: That is, you do not let a member of an electoral commission come in a room, where it is written «the Electoral Commission»?

GUARD: Wait, that's all!

OBSERVER: Why don't you let me enter?

NARRATOR
Center of technical creation near Proletarskaya metro station – this is our last point. Here a portable ballot box and ballots ordered to the nearest hospital, were just given to the chief doctor. While members of the electoral commission according to the law do not have the right to leave hold of them. Now, what is there in this ballot boxes? How many ballots are there? Observers beware of falsifications.

SOUND: POLLING STATION

DIMITRY, A LAWYER (whispering): … and ballot boxes, and ballots they have no right to leave hold of them. And the list...

NARRATOR
Our mobile group takes a seat on a comfortable leather sofas right at the polling station: Dimitry and observers are discussing how to better word their complaints and Michael and I are watching the famous movie“The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed” on TV. Half of the Commission is doing the same.

SOUND: FILM AND WHISPERING OF DIMITRY AND OBSERVERS

NARRATOR
There is a key episode on the screen: Zheglov plants a wallet to a pickpocket Kirpich for dragging the truth from him by blackmail.

SOUND: FILM (Zheglov: "...a thief's place is in prison. Am I right?”)

MICHAEL
When this film ''The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed” was run for the first time, I served as a soldier in the Soviet Army, kept guard on the aerial boundary of our immense country. And when we were watching this episode with a planted wallet all our order-bearing subdivision including officers and sergeants and God knows what kind of other staff – everybody was on Zheglov's side. So it is permissible to plant a wallet to a brock – any means to an end. They thought for some reason that a policeman's aspirations are directed to the justice. In my view I was the only person who spoke against this idea. I just hardly escape beating. Everything must be by the law. As a queen Ekatherine II said, if I'm not mistaken: it's better to let 10 guilty persons out, then to put 1 innocent man in jail. The first run of this film was in 1979. By that time I had already served a year in army – it became easier a bit.

REPORTER: Where did you serve?

MICHAEL
At Zaporozhye. In Air Defense Command. If at that time I had served only for half a year, they could have simply killed me. And it doesn't matter either you are right or not. A hazing in the military was very cruel. They could hit a guy because he snored in his sleep. It was tough there. In our subdivision where I was. I was aware of this hazing in the military and went there to confront it. In general, the first six months it was permanent beating, constant fights, constantly. Sometimes they were breaking me down, sometimes I cowarded. In fact it is impossible to live under such pressure. Sometimes I thought that I was in prison. Such were the morals.

REPORTER:How did you know about such a hazing?

MICHAEL
Guys were coming back... And this fight against hazing in the military had an anecdotal manifestation: well, when I served for 2 years on the day of my demobilization we had a Saturday of industrial and economic activity. And I was cleaning the floor. Nobody did such things. When I was cleaning this floor I have already been a demobilized man. I have even received an order to do it. But my demobilization was at 10 am and nevertheless at 6 am I was cleaning a floor. And at that day they set me free. But I want to say that I have never made a bed, never washed a cotton underclothes or cleaned jackboots for anyone during all this years. Not a single time. Such a kid I was.

SOUND: POLLING STATION

MOTHER: I don't know. My son did not show up.

HER YOUNGER SON: Tyoma was at the university all the day.

MOTHER: My mother came...

A MEMBER OF ELECTORAL COMMISSION: And the passport details – you mean I took them out of my head?

MOTHER: My kid doesn't sign in a such way. Mark a violation! It's impossible to behave like this in a center of a city. You'd better learn how people sign first.

A HEAD OF ELECTORAL COMMISSION: The voting venue is closing!

MUSIC

SOUND: POLLING STATION

A HEAD OF ELECTORAL COMMISSION: Dear colleagues, we got a proposal to conduct procedure clause by clause. What is your opinion?

OBSERVER: Your own clauses or the clauses of the law?

A HEAD OF ELECTORAL COMMISSION: By clauses that our observers propose. But in such a case we will stay here untill the morning. At the very least.

NARRATOR: More than 20 year of Michael’s life have been connected with elections. And each time it made him lose his strength and nerves.

SOUND: POLLING STATION

DIMITRY, A LAWYER: None of the electoral commission has been present at the voting. This is the rudest violation of article 66.

NARRATOR: He is tired of constant squabbling with the members of the electoral commission, of nerve-wracking during the ballots counting, of waiting for copies of protocols.

SOUND: POLLING STATION

OBSERVER: It's against the law! First of all you need to void the rest of ballot papers. We are kindly asking you: Sergei Yurievich, don't violate the law. We inform you that you are breaking a law.

A HEAD OF ELECTORAL COMMISSION: Do not hinder me from working! Are you supposed to observe? Then just do it!

OBSERVER: What do you mean by that phrase? To monitor you violating the law?

NARRATOR
Michael left the polling station at one in the morning, after all the ballots were counted. We decided not to say goodbye to each other because surely we will meet quite soon. Somewhere at rallies or elections. Now I'm always looking for him among the slightly frozen but smiling crowd. At Chistiye Prudy, on Bolotnaya and Sakharova. So far, I haven't seen his broad-shouldered, a little bit stooping figure. But there will be plenty of rallies before the next elections.

SOUND: BALLOTS COUNTED
Communist party, Yabloko, Just Russia, LDPR, Communist party, LDPR, United Russia, United, Communist party, Yabloko.

MUSIC
 

 

 

Комментарии

Ваш комментарий:

Как вас зовут?

Адрес почты

Поле для заполнения роботами:

Надоело заполнять скучные поля? Зарегистрируйся.

Ctrl+Enter