During the preliminary voting on amendments to the Constitution in Ugra early doing my civic duty more than seven thousand nine hundred shift workers and indigenous people. Most of the oil fields and lands of the Khanty can be reached only by air — from civilization is miles of impenetrable forests and swamps, where even a helicopter to land is not easy.
Their endurance and vestibular system to be envied. The helicopter is not the most comfortable transport by turbulence, strong noise and smell of fuel will soon cease to distract even the natural beauty of Ugra. In the “takeoff-landing” representatives of the precinct election commissions of the Surgut district spend the whole working day. Production facilities of oil and land of the indigenous peoples scattered throughout the forest, so the flight has to land and to rise again up to 15 times.
“Given the fact that I have never flown before to get to the precinct electoral Commission, it is on this work was my first flight, so I had huge emotions,” — says Oksana Arslanova, a member of the precinct election Commission of the Surgut district.
On the ground even harder than in the air. Walk from the helicopter to the camp sometimes need to overcome considerable distance. And it is through the swamp, where every step is unpredictable. Most of the forest dwellers, there is no connection — signal to their lands do not reach.
“Now we’re flying, sit down, go through all this way, but there it is. Eat gnats, mosquitoes bite, today I fell into the marsh, failed, so here. All we have is wet, but necessary,” says Diana Tatievskaya, a member of the precinct election Commission.
About the existence and location of Khanty families in the election Commission learn from the oilmen who work in the neighborhood, they report the exact coordinates.66-year-old Ivan Taiping lived all his life in the woods, away from civilization. All alone now — wife long gone, and the nearessenior neighbor 15 kilometers.
“For food we go to Sochi, even the night will not sleep, just come back in the evening. To the highway on the boat, on the boat, then call a taxi from the city,” talks about his life Ivan Taiping, representative of the Khanty people.
it Often happens that one fit is equal to one vote, but the opportunity to exercise the right of choice should be granted to everyone. In the present epidemiological situation to protect the indigenous inhabitants from outside threats, representatives of the commissions comply with safety rules in the forest, they are the same as in the urban polling stations.
