Thirteen of the 35 legislators for the city of Barnaul, capital of the Altai region, submitted their resignations Thursday, apparently in protest of Mayor Vladimir Kolganov's ouster, Itar-Tass reported.
Kolganov, who became mayor in 2003 and was re-elected in 2008, was sacked by Altai Governor Alexander Karlin on Saturday after purportedly ignoring a dozen court rulings.
Kolganov had faced pressure from the ruling United Russia party to resign prior to Karlin's decision but refused, saying he only could be fired by the city legislature, which voted against his removal last Friday despite being controlled by United Russia.
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