Has Sokolov launched his election campaign?

      After yesterday’s live Q&A with Governor Alexander Sokolov, regional Telegram channels erupted in active discussion — some commentators interpreted the regional head’s remarks as an “electoral false start.” The trigger was Sokolov’s answer to the host’s question about what he considered his main achievement during his governorship. The regional head said that “the midpoint of the first term has been passed” and added: “What happens next will be decided by voters, by citizens, by the trust of the head of our state.”

      Some channel authors see this phrase as a signal that preparations for the 2026 campaign have begun.

      As the author of the Telegram channel “Toptygin,” which has more than two thousand subscribers, writes, yesterday’s live Q&A amounted to a kind of early bid by Sokolov for a second term. The author claims that questions about a governor’s future are usually raised no earlier than a year before the end of the mandate, yet Sokolov made it “central” already. “Toptygin” suggests that the regional head understands that extending his powers will not be easy — primarily because of the “acute deficit of socio-economic achievements” in the region. Therefore, in the author’s view, Sokolov is betting on the political component: demonstrating loyalty to the federal center and controlling the regional agenda.

      In his analysis the channel’s author also suggests that in the coming year, when major elections will be held for the regional assembly and the State Duma, the governor intends to build a maximally manageable political configuration. Sokolov seeks to minimize the risk of public conflicts and to exclude the appearance of candidates “unfavorable” to him on party lists and in constituencies, the author believes. The channel advances the version that local structures of several parties will work in tandem with United Russia under the supervision of federal curators.

      In addition, the channel suggests that Sokolov hopes to raise the ruling party’s support in the elections — “ideally to 40%” — and to get several of his own supporters into the federal parliament, which could strengthen his position when it comes to reappointment.

      Meanwhile the live Q&A itself also sparked discussion. Users note that this time real residents called in, from parents of large families to Kirov residents unhappy with transport. But for almost every sharp question Sokolov answered the same: “We’ll have the minister/the district head look into it.”