Khakassia governor says residents backed Stalin monument after vote drew 2% of population

Residents of Russia’s Khakassia republic have voted in favor of erecting a monument to Joseph Stalin in Abakan’s Victory Park, Governor Valentin Konovalov announced after the Public Chamber concluded its “public vote” on the proposal.

Of those who participated in the public discussions, 78.52 percent supported the monument, Konovalov said. According to Public Chamber data, 13,500 people took part in the discussions — 2.6 percent of the republic’s population — with 10,600 voting in favor, the Telegram news channel 7×7 reported.

The designated voting locations were institutions open only until 5:00 p.m. and only on weekdays, the Abakan-based news agency Khakasiya reported. “As a result, the majority of participants in the public discussions will be pensioners — the core electorate of the Communist Party,” the outlet wrote. Voters could cast ballots more than once, but only by visiting different locations each time.

The proposal was put forward by an organization called Children of War, which said it was prepared to fund the project. Konovalov, a Communist Party member, had previously called the Children of War initiative “reasonable.”

As of 2023, more than 100 monuments to Joseph Stalin had been erected across Russia.