The
Electoral Commission of the Tula region has registered YABLOKO’s
list of candidates in the elections of the regional parliament
(the Tula Region Duma) which will take place on October 11.
The Electoral Commission was dissatisfied with only 2% of
the total number of the signatures submitted by the regional
YABLOKO branch for registration in the election campaign.
In 12 days the regional branch of the party managed to collect
17,640 signatures at required 14,180.
“Our election campaign will focus on restoration of law and
order in the Tula housing and communal services sector,” noted
Sergei Filatov, leader of YABLOKO’s regional list and deputy
of the Tula City Duma. He also said that the situation when
only one company moreover controlled by the regional authorities
is allowed to serve for the sector’s needs should be changed.
According to Filatov, YABLOKO managed to draw attention of
the federal government to this problem, after which head of
the Tula administration and the first deputy head resigned.
YABLOKO together with a number of public organisations also
began collection of signatures under the proposal to amend
the Tula Charter so that the citizens would have the right
to directly elect their mayor. Several pickets conducted by
YABLOKO allowed the party to collect 2,000 signatures.
“Implementation of YABLOKO’s electoral programme will allow
the region to breathe freely,” Filatov said. He also called
the present policies of the regional government “the way to
the abyss”.
YABLOKO’s 57 activists will compete for 48 mandates in the
Tula City Duma; whereas 50% of YABLOKO’s candidates are women,
20% are young people under 30 and 30% are entrepreneurs. The
list is topped by Sergei Filatov.
See also:
Regional and
Municipal Elections, 2009
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