Press Release, 08.06.2017

The Pskov Region Assembly of Deputies declined the legislative initiative by Lev Shlosberg to return to the residents of Pskov and Velikiye Luky the right to directly elect heads of these large cities of the region.

According to the voting in the Assembly, 8 deputies voted for the law, 14 against, 2 abstained, and 19 deputies evaded the voting.

Speaking in the Assembly Lev Shlosberg noted, “This is an old story: we all remember the time when there were direct elections of heads of administrations in all 26 municipalities of the Pskov region. Later the situation began to change, experiments were conducted. The most significant changes occurred in 2005 and 2006, when representative bodies of cities on the initiative of the then Governor canceled direct elections of heads of administrations. This was part of an acute political struggle, confrontation between the Governor and the Mayors.”

Shlosberg also stressed that eight years later cancellation of direct elections of head of the cities proved inefficient: city administrations became increasingly non-transparent, head of the administration did not have to account to the voters and the risks of corruption rose.

He also said that was proposing the initiative to return direct elections of heads of the cities basing on public opinion.

Commenting on the voting results, Lev Shlosberg said: “[The faction of the ruling] United Russia has mastered a new art – not to vote for the draft laws brought by the opposition. This is a cowardly position, which has no explanation or justification. The faction of the silent non-voting deputies represents today an actual majority in the Pskov Region Assembly. This is their choice, and voters have to know about this.”

Public opinion polls for the initiative of Shlosberg were held in the social media and over 95 per cent of the respondents spoke in favour of the return of the direct elections. Also signatures in favour of Shlosberg’s initiative were collected at a rally on 5 June.