Timur Valeyev, new director of the Open Elections project: “We are going to fight openly and publicly for fair elections”

Dear Friends,

The Open Elections project has a new director, and we are delighted to reveal his name: Timur Valeyev, former creative producer at the TV channel “Moscow 24,” and the Moscow city government group “Moscow Media.”

We spent several months searching for a strategic director for Open Russia’s work in the area of elections, and we have found the best person for the job.

Our new director says:

“For the last two months we have been working on a new strategy and concept for Open Elections. This has allowed us to see where we went wrong in previous elections and to find an absolutely new approach to monitoring voting procedures.

“Our main objective will be to prevent any falsifications on next year’s single voting day, 18 September 2016. Election monitoring is quite well developed in Russia, but it is frequently regarded simply as the process of recording infringements or voting results.  We have found a method for forestalling these infringements, which will enable us to give opposition candidates a chance to show their real results.

“We shall be working strictly within the law, so there will be no room for fear. We shall fight openly and publicly for fair elections, which will allow us – possibly for the first time within recent memory – to enter into a dialogue with the government.

“There are many pressure points in the regions. At the local level, people are gradually learning not to be afraid and to speak out in defence of their rights. Our job is to gather around us people who will state openly that they want change and are prepared to fight for it. Many leaders of regional movements and protests are preparing to take part in the Duma elections. Open Elections will help them to run a worthy campaign and to see that there is no cheating.”