Ahead of runoff election, Russian governor addresses constituents in video where she says voters' first-round weak support surprised her

Vladimir Governor Svetlana Orlova, who faces stiff competition in a runoff election on September 23, appealed to her constituents in a recorded video on Wednesday, saying that she “didn’t expect” her low support in the first round of voting, and admitted that she is “of course concerned.”

“I certainly tried [during my term] and I got results, so why did I fail to get through to so many of you? It means I did something wrong myself. I took my eye off the ball somewhere,” Orlova says in the video, asking for support in the next round of voting. If she wins, Orlova promises to consult the public on “all the most important steps” through a project she’s calling “People’s Solution,” which she wants to launch after her reelection.

On September 9, Orlova won just 36.42 percent of the vote, narrowly outperforming LDPR opposition candidate Vladimir Sipyagin, who finished with 31.19 percent. The two will face off in a runoff election this Sunday, on September 23, when Khakassia and Khabarovsk will also hold second-round gubernatorial elections.

On September 19, federal election officials recommended the invalidation of a runoff election in Primorye, where a new election will likely take place three months from now, though it’s still unknown if the second-round candidates will compete this time.