Residents of North Ossetia named the main problems in the republic ahead of the elections.

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The rise in prices, low incomes, housing and utility tariffs, the state of medicine, and waste management issues cause the greatest dissatisfaction among surveyed residents of North Ossetia. Some of them intend to express their protest by voting for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), while others see no alternative to "United Russia" and refuse to participate in the elections, considering them meaningless.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", at the end of August, Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted three candidates for the post of head of North Ossetia. The candidates are the current head of the region Sergey Menyaylo, the deputy general director of LLC "Selengeugol" Oleg Varnavin, and a deputy of the republican parliament, director of the North Ossetian State Academic Theater named after V. Thapsaev Chermen Dudati. Analysts believe that the upcoming elections will only formalize a new term for Sergey Menyaylo.

On September 14, residents of North Ossetia shared their dissatisfaction with the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" regarding the accumulated problems in the republic and the country ahead of the State Duma elections and the elections for the head. The survey is not representative and reflects only the private opinions of the respondents.

A resident of Vladikavkaz, housewife Zarema, named among the most acute problems the state of medicine, rising prices, low incomes, and high housing and utility tariffs. According to her, it is difficult to single out only three problems, as almost each of them directly affects the standard of living. "Medicine has simply hit rock bottom. Education has too, but it still withstands criticism to some extent, while medicine is just a nightmare," she said.

People are generally living below the poverty line, the overwhelming majority

Zarema is particularly dissatisfied with the discrepancy between official income data and the standard of living she observes around her. According to her, the published average salary figures significantly diverge from the real incomes of many residents of the republic. "They write one thing, but in fact, it is completely different. People are generally living below the poverty line, the overwhelming majority," she stated.

The landfill problem also directly affects her family. Zarema's father lives in the BAM area in Vladikavkaz, and according to her, especially with the onset of cold weather and during fog, a strong unpleasant smell is regularly felt there. "There is a terrible stench. You can't open the windows. I think this is very harmful to health," she said.

Zarema believes that the authorities of the republic do not respond adequately to residents' complaints.

Financier Sergey from Vladikavkaz placed rising prices, low income levels, and employment issues at the top of his list. At the same time, the situation with gasoline and the smell from the landfill are not significant problems for him personally.

The main problems are housing and utility tariffs, the income level of citizens, and fuel issues

Civil servant Maierbek from Vladikavkaz named the rise in housing and utility tariffs, especially the water supply fee, as the main source of dissatisfaction. "The strongest indignation among people is caused by the rise in housing and utility tariffs, especially water tariffs. The main problems are housing and utility tariffs, the income level of citizens, and fuel issues," he said.

Maierbek himself does not feel the smell from the landfill, although he knows about the complaints from residents. Fuel shortages cause him inconvenience, but he does not consider them a serious problem for his family, as he can use public transport or walk. The untimely removal of garbage in Vladikavkaz has a greater impact on his quality of life.

Entrepreneur Taimuraz from Vladikavkaz also prioritized the waste issue, but emphasized that for him it is "not so much about garbage removal as about the lack of recycling and the presence of illegal dumps." He named the state of the judicial system as the second most significant problem and the quality of education as the third.

Taimuraz has not personally encountered fuel sales interruptions, and the smell from the landfill, according to him, is carried away by the wind in another direction.

Everything is getting more expensive - housing and utility services, food, gasoline, taxis

Teacher Dianna, a resident of the city of Ardon in North Ossetia, named "teachers' salaries, the state of medicine, the overall rise in the cost of living, and safety" among the most painful problems. "Everything is getting more expensive - housing and utility services, food, gasoline, taxis. Especially monopolies <...> no one can rein them in, they are robbing the population. And now these constant threats of drone attacks - you are already afraid to fly on a plane," she said.

The smell from the Vladikavkaz landfill personally bothers Dianna less, as she lives in Ardon, but she considers the problem significant for the ecological situation throughout the republic, especially against the backdrop of the prevalence of oncological diseases.

Retiree Tamara from the village of Gizel in the Prigorodny district named the size of her pension as one of her main problems, which, according to her, is not enough for basic expenses. "Just the gas in the winter consumes half of my pension. At least we live in our own house, we have a garden: what we gather in the summer, we eat in the winter, chickens, livestock. But these pennies are not enough for anything. Water, electricity - everything is getting more expensive," she said.

Medicines are becoming an increasingly significant expense, the retiree added. Tamara perceives the state of oncological care particularly acutely, as there are cancer patients in her family. According to her, relatives have to travel to Stavropol for necessary examinations. The cost of diagnostics is covered by the compulsory medical insurance policy, but the need for further travel creates additional difficulties. "Medical centers are being built in the republic, but the equipment does not work. Why is this diagnostics not conducted in the republic? Why is there no PET-CT scanner in Ossetia? Why are there no medicines for cancer patients, and we are forced to travel around the republic with dozens of papers, begging, listening to the rudeness of pharmacy staff, enduring all this bureaucracy?" she exclaimed.

The smell from the landfill in Gizel, according to Tamara, is felt and bothers residents. She is convinced that "air pollution could have caused oncological diseases in her family."

Some residents chose protest voting

The attitudes of surveyed residents towards the upcoming elections vary significantly. For some of them, dissatisfaction with the situation in the republic has become an argument in favor of voting for the CPRF, while others have lost faith in the election mechanism altogether.

The only thing I can do is take my ballot and spoil it

Zarema does not intend to participate in the elections, as she does not believe that her vote can influence the outcome. She considers the possibility of going to the polling station and spoiling her ballot only theoretically and also finds it meaningless. "It's a useless waste of time. The only thing I can do is take my ballot and spoil it. But it's pointless. Everything is already rigged, we all know that. I do not intend to vote for anyone," she said.

Zarema also rejected voting for the CPRF as a protest against "United Russia." In her opinion, the current CPRF has nothing to do with the political force the party used to be, and she sees no worthy alternative among other parties.

Sergey also does not intend to participate in the elections. However, he does not directly link his refusal to the current dissatisfaction with the authorities: he claims he has never voted.

Maierbek, on the contrary, definitely intends to go to the polling station and plans to vote for the CPRF precisely as an alternative to the ruling party. "I will vote for the CPRF and hope that my vote against 'United Russia' will be an opportunity to express my dissatisfaction," he said.

Tamara also intends to support the CPRF, although she does not consider the current Communist Party to be a bearer of communist ideology. "I have always voted for them, not because these people today represent the ideology of the CPRF - they have nothing to do with it, but at least it is some illusion of opposition," she said.

In the single-mandate district, Tamara plans to vote for the CPRF candidate Chermen Dudati. She explained her choice by his age and lack of a negative reputation. "He is young, and so far he has not stained himself," the retiree explained.

I feel indifferent towards voting

A different attitude towards the elections has developed for Taimuraz. He used to regularly participate in voting and supported "Yabloko." According to him, after the final protocols appeared on the internet, he discovered that the protocol from his polling station indicated zero votes for "Yabloko," although he claims he voted for this party. This experience became one of the reasons for his current indifference towards the elections. "Overall, this is a political system alien to me, which I perceive as something harmful and inevitable, like the flu. I feel indifferent towards voting," he said.

Therefore, Taimuraz does not consider voting for the CPRF or another party as a form of protest against "United Russia."

Dianna plans to go to the elections, but claims she does so unwillingly. According to her, school staff are required to participate in voting. Without this requirement, she herself would not go to the polling station. She considers the opportunity to express dissatisfaction by voting for another party to be fictitious. "We have one party - 'United Russia', and all the others are its branches, miserable imitations," she said.

At the same time, among the candidates, Dianna knows Zemfira Tsaeva and admits that she might vote for her "out of female solidarity," although she does not consider such a choice capable of changing anything.

Residents evaluated the current deputies critically

The awareness of the surveyed residents about the current deputies of the State Duma from North Ossetia and candidates in the new elections turned out to be low.

Zarema recalled only Arthur Taymazov among the current deputies and stated that she does not know about his activities in the interests of the residents of the republic. "In my opinion, he only does what serves his own interests, not the interests of his native republic. I have never heard that this person, for example, engaged in any patronage activities or supported anyone. I have not heard anything good about him," she said.

Zarema does not know who is running in the current elections and, according to her, does not want to know.

Sergey could not name either current deputies or candidates.

I know them all personally and can say with full responsibility that, apart from the interests of the authorities, the deputies do not solve people's problems

Maierbek reported that he knows the current deputies personally, but also evaluated their activities negatively. "I know them all personally and can say with full responsibility that, apart from the interests of the authorities, the deputies do not solve people's problems," he stated.

At the same time, when asked about candidates in the current elections, Maierbek named Arsen Fadzaev, who is not among the registered candidates for the State Duma from the North Ossetian single-mandate district.

Taimuraz reported that he had heard the names of some current deputies but does not know "what they represent." He could not name candidates in the current elections.

Dianna knows current deputies Arthur Taymazov and Zurab Makiev. Among the current candidates, she named Zemfira Tsaeva.

Tamara also named Makiev and Taymazov but sharply evaluated their work. "Both are deputies for themselves, they do not represent any republic," she said.

Among the current candidates, retiree Tamara knows Chermen Dudati, whom she intends to support.

The State Duma elections will take place in three days

The elections for deputies of the State Duma of the ninth convocation will take place in North Ossetia on September 18, 19, and 20, 2026. The republic will form the North Ossetian single-mandate electoral district No. 30. In addition to voting for a candidate in the single-mandate district, voters will receive a second ballot for voting for party lists.

As of July 1, there were 511,206 voters in North Ossetia. For the conduct of voting, 309 regular precinct election commissions and another 19 commissions in places of temporary residence of citizens have been formed.

Eight candidates are registered in the single-mandate district: Soslan Bestaev from the LDPR, Chermen Dudati from the CPRF, Alan Kuchiev from the "Party of Direct Democracy", Alan Mamukaev from the Russian Ecological Party "Greens", current State Duma deputy Arthur Taymazov from "United Russia", Taimuraz Fidarov from the "Rodina" party, Yakov Khubulov from the "Communists of Russia", and Zemfira Tsaeva from "Fair Russia".

One of the registered candidates, Chermen Dudati, is also among the three candidates for the post of head of North Ossetia, presented by the President of Russia to the republican parliament. The head of the republic must also be elected by deputies on September 20.

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