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Just Russia candidate says he goes into election to make Muscovites happier

Nikolai Levichev set to improve the social well-being of capital's citizens

Nikolai Levichev, ITAR-TASS

Nikolai Levichev, ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, June 19 (Itar-Tass) - The chairman of the A Just Russia party, Nikolai Levichev, said on Wednesday he goes into the mayoral election to make the Muscovites happier.

“I will do everything so that Muscovites become a bit happier as a result of the Moscow mayoral election,” said Levichev, announcing himself the party candidate for the election.

According to him, there are a lot of ways to determine happiness ratings for cities and countries, but Russia is not even among the first 100 countries on this list. “For example, last year there was an attempt to make up the happiness rating that would be based not only on the level of welfare, but would also include environmental and security matters as well as the sense of self. Moscow was placed only 52nd in this happiness rating among the Russian cities,” he said.

He also pledged that he would base his election campaign on appealing to the Moscow community. “I will make it my aim to improve the social well-being of Muscovites, to have the road towards social well-being determined,” he summed up.

Motivating the choice of his candidacy for mayor, he explained that the party leadership believes “the Moscow mayoral election will be the most significant political event of 2013, and we believe that attempts to reduce this election to choosing the person most competent in management issues understate its importance”.

He is confident that the candidate for Moscow mayor “is a political person who must offer a civilized, modern and alternative view on the development of the capital to the Muscovites”.

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