Khimki Is a Litmus Test for Opposition

Right now, the greatest opportunity for an opposition figure to gain public office is in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, where former Mayor Vladimir Strelchenko was recently pressured into resigning by Sergei Shoigu, the governor of the Moscow region. On Strelchenko's watch, there have been numerous assaults and beatings of environmental activists and a record of rampant corruption gone unpunished. The worst conflict was a clash with the grassroots movement that opposes the construction of the Moscow-St. Petersburg highway, which will cut right through the Khimki forest.Now Yevgenia Chirikova, a leading figure in the nonsystemic opposition, announced that she would like to run for the mayoral post in Khimki. She already ran for mayor in Khimki once before in a dirty election that was tainted by fraud. Strelchenko had originally lost the race, but the еlections сommittee met behind closed doors for a recount, after which Strelchenko was announced the winner.