Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov may lose his seat in the upper chamber by mid-May, Interfax said, citing the St. Petersburg legislature, which nominated him as senator in 2001.
Mironov is a co-founder of the pro-Kremlin Just Russia party but obtained his senator seat thanks to his party's rival, the ruling United Russia, which controls the St. Petersburg legislature.
The city legislature said Wednesday that it "has launched the procedure" of Mironov's recall from the Federation Council and will review the matter during its next meeting on May 18, Interfax reported, adding that United Russia's federal leadership is undecided on the issue. Mironov said he was prepared to leave, Vesti.ru reported.