Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Region Cancels Elections, Ousts Mayor, Reinstates Elections

Ousted Petrozavodsk Mayor Galina Shirshina

Regional deputies in Russia’s republic of Karelia have passed the first reading of a bill to reinstate mayoral elections in the region's cities after they were canceled last year, the Kommersant newspaper reported Thursday.

City council deputies in Petrozavodsk, the region’s capital, ousted Mayor Galina Shirshina from office after canceling mayoral elections in the republic.

Petrozavodsk was one of the few Russian cities with an elected mayor not from the ruling United Russia party. The small, industrial city, built on the shores of Lake Onezhskoye, had hosted a battle between its opposition mayor and its legislative assembly.

Shirshina, 37, was an independent candidate in the 2013 election race supported by the liberal Yabloko party, and won a surprise victory against incumbent mayor Nikolai Levin of United Russia.

The local legislature, made up predominantly of United Russia deputies, presented Shirshina with an “unsatisfactory” mark during the annual evaluation of her work in June 2015.

At the same time, Petrozavodsk lawmakers introduced an amendment to the city charter that canceled the city's mayoral elections in accordance with an earlier decision to cancel elections made in the regional parliament.

Petrozavodsk is one of a number of cities where elections have been canceled and then replaced by a system which sees municipal deputies appoint a mayor from candidates chosen by special commission.

Although Shirshina vetoed the amendment passed by the regional legislative assembly, deputies succeeded in removing her as mayor on Dec. 25, 2015, Russian media reported at the time.

Shirshina has repeatedly appealed the decision, but the legality of her termination were upheld at the Karelia Supreme Court in February 2016.

The Petrozavodsk mayor is elected for five years.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more