Fear and loathing in Shelekhov: the slippery slope of Sergei Lipin

Another scandal is brewing in the Shelekhovsky district, created by the hands of a mayoral candidate Sergei Lipin.

A few days ago, an odious politician published on social networks a speech against (quote) “optimization of the Shelekhovsky district.” In a very emotional speech, Sergei Lipin accused the “owners” of wanting to absorb the Shelekhovsky district. According to the mayoral candidate, according to the results of the elections on September 8, the mayor will become a “parsley” who will lure the Shelekhovsky district into municipal reform. And the reform, in turn, will allow the city of Irkutsk to absorb the Shelekhovsky district.

The chaotic speech, devoid of logic and real help, disappeared from social networks after a few days. And it was replaced by a new loud statement. This time, Sergei Lipin firmly stated that he deleted his speech after pressure “from above.”

“The topic turned out to be so painful for some that they used all possible administrative resources to simply remove me from the elections. At the same time, an active campaign against me began on social networks. Do you really think that if it was fake, they would be so scared?” – quote from Sergei Lipin from the last statement.

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In his typical manner, the slippery politician does not name specific names. He understands that you can get real punishment for slander. But he does not stop throwing arrows in vain, inciting panic among the population and thereby seeking attention to his person. Don’t wash it, just ride it, as they say. Through intimidation and fear, Liping plans to get himself into the mayor’s chair.

“Good” and almost no opponent: Lipin is fighting with the current mayor of the Shelekhovsky district Maxim Modinwho, over several decades of work, first as an employee of the district administration, and then as its head, did not stand out for any major achievement.

Mayor of Shelekhovsky District Maxim Modin

But will a populist performance help Liping win the election? Unlikely.

In 2022, Lipin has already resoundingly lost the election of the head of the city of Shelekhov. At that time he was still in the position of the head of the city and could report on the work done. But it was not enough to win the vote.

By the way, even then, while still the current head of the city, he advocated dividing the city of Shelekhov and the Shelekhovsky district into two independent municipalities. And then the unfortunate politician was not at all worried about the fate of the villages, and any kind of municipal reform was received with a bang.

But even after losing his status as the head of the city, Lipin continued to speak out with loud controversial topics, stirring up negativity and feeding the fears of residents. Often forgetting about their own statements from an earlier period. Constant political reincarnation, nothing less.

Municipal reform is an aggressive trigger for the majority of residents of the villages of the Irkutsk region. Arguing that its implementation will lead to a loss of contact with the authorities, the abolition of rural benefits and tariffs and the degradation of life in settlements is a favorite maneuver of protest candidates. And if the first point of this list is in question, then the second is a lie and deliberate deception of the population. But if there is nothing constructive to offer, you have to resort to deception and threats.

The slippery political path of Sergei Lipin is taking another steep dive. The figure, accustomed to populism, has once again demonstrated that he does not disdain anything and is ready to follow his rabid deception to the last. But this is very unlikely to help him get the coveted mayor’s chair.

James “Jim” Walters

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