Makhachkalintsy doubted the possibility of protest voting

Residents of Makhachkala told "Caucasian Knot" that elections in their surroundings are hardly discussed, and mainly budget workers and civil servants go to the polling stations. They do not observe any protest voting and do not consider it a way to express their position.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", employees of budget organizations in Dagestan received instructions from the leadership to vote for a specific party. Some residents of Dagestan do not intend to participate in the voting due to distrust of the candidates and the election results.

From September 18 to 20, elections for deputies of the State Duma and the People's Assembly are taking place in the republic. Lists of five parties are registered for the elections to the republican parliament, and three single-member districts have been formed for the elections to the State Duma. A correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" asked Makhachkalintsy about their attitude towards voting on the day the polling stations opened. The material is not a public opinion poll, does not claim to be representative, and is not intended to determine the political preferences of voters, intentions to vote for specific candidates, or to predict election results.

A teacher from one of the schools Abdulnasir came to the polling station on September 18, as he plans to visit his children in another city over the weekend. "There were no queues at the polling station, the whole procedure took a few minutes," he said.

Earlier, he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that he considers the current deputies and candidates passive, and among the main problems, he mentioned the state of housing and communal services and rising fuel prices.

Abdulnasir does not notice any expressions of protest from voters in the region and believes that there is no point in it. The topic of elections is hardly discussed in his surroundings – some acquaintances only recalled that they were reminded at work about the need to vote, the teacher added.

Pensioner Abakar voted in the morning; he never misses elections. "I have been voting for the same party for the last few years. There were about 10 people at the polling station, there were no crowds, queues, or discussions. My adult children said they would vote over the weekend; they are working today," the man noted.

A resident of Makhachkala Alima did not go to the elections today; she plans to do so the next day, September 19. "I have work until six in the evening, then I need to get home, cook dinner, and spend time with the children," she explained. Many of her acquaintances do not plan to vote, as they do not believe it will change the situation for the better, Alima added.

Entrepreneur Abdurashid did not go to the polling station and is unlikely to go – he has a lot of work planned for the weekend. He claims that mainly civil servants are going to vote among his acquaintances.

Abdurashid is sure that there is no protest voting in Dagestan. "There used to be a 'against all' option in the ballot, which allowed one to express their position somehow," he recalled.

A Dagestani journalist, wishing to remain unnamed, plans to go to the polling station on September 19. "Not so much to vote, as almost everything is decided with the choice of candidates, but rather to see the situation at the polling station. Many in my circle do not plan to go to the elections, except for budget workers and civil servants. There were also those who voted, mainly for candidates from their area – I do not understand how such a choice will help them," he stated.