Anton Alikhanov with his wife Daria
Photo: Personal archive
Sunday, September 10, was election day in Russia. “What is your main choice in life?” This was the question of the day, the answers to which we published in Komsomolskaya Pravda (metropolitan edition) on Monday, September 11.
Among those who participated in our column is the head of the Kaliningrad region, Anton Alikhanov. Here’s our conversation in a nutshell…
… – Anton Andreevich, happy holidays of democracy to you! Have you already voted?
– Yes, we do not have special elections, they are only in some areas.
– And Moscow elects its mayor.
– I have been registered in Kaliningrad for 7 years, so I cannot vote for the mayor of Moscow, neither remotely by electronic means, nor at all.
– What is your main choice in life?
– My main choice in life? Probably my wife Daria.
– Why did you choose Daria?
– You know, it was love almost at first sight.
– Can you tell me how it was?
– We met at our mutual friends’ birthday party, we sat at the same table and started talking. Then there was some kind of book presentation, we went somewhere else. In general, what follows is the usual story of the students.
– Was this in Moscow?
– Yes, in Moscow.
– How long were you dating?
– I think two years passed before the proposal.
– Why so long?
– Well, I thought I should finish my studies, but then I realized that we couldn’t stand it. She was in her junior year and I was in her senior year when we got married.
– Did you agree immediately?
– Yes. She lived in Mitino at the time. She had some problems with her computer, I offered to help her and we went and bought a new drive, installed the operating system and connected everything. And then I say: “Well, she’s here, let’s get married.” And she said yes.
– Do you have three children now?
– Yes bye.
– Your mother, Liana Teiranovna, and I spoke here once, also for the “Question of the Day” column. Did you see how pretty it turned out?
– And just now he came to visit me.
– Did your mother immediately approve of your choice? I’m talking about Daria…
– Yes, sure. We were all in favor.
– I wonder, when Anton Alikhanov became a big boss, governor, did Daria’s feelings become stronger?
– You know, she married me when I was a student. Love does not depend on positions.
– Do you tell your children how your family was formed?
– Well, we told some family stories, of course, but I’m not sure we told the eldest any details about our relationship. But this is a good idea, we assure you, he is already an adult.
– I know that you and your wife go to baptisms and weddings. Share your emotional experience of family life?
– My advice is simple: it is very important to always be together in everything. That is, try to dedicate free time and visit a loved one. Because it is important to always try to be close to each other. If I go somewhere, if possible, I prefer my wife to keep me company.
– How old is your marriage?
– We got married on July 14, 2007.
– Tell me, does that love influence your work, your political life?
– Certainly. It’s even surprising: I’m traveling now and not long ago, while driving, I was thinking about what is right for people to be family people with children. They better understand the needs of the population, how life should be built and the difficulties that people face. I think this is important.
– Do you have mainly young lovers in your team?
– Well, there are different personnel, both young and not so young. Yes, indeed, there are even families with many children. By the way, there are many women. In the government of the Kaliningrad region, half of the top managers, both my deputies and ministers of agencies and departments, about 50% are representatives of the fair sex.
– Does the fact that the governor is young and in love affect personnel policy then?
– (laughs) Probably not. Yes, I’m not so young anymore, Alexander Petrovich. You know, this stereotype has stuck. I’ll be 37 in a week.
– How many times do you kiss your wife a day?
– Well, probably in the morning and probably several times at night. In fact, when she makes it (she now works as an editor remotely and writes all kinds of scripts), Dasha sometimes comes over for coffee with me during lunchtime. That’s why she kisses you at least three times a day.
