Press Release, 19.12.2018

Yabloko Chair Emilia Slabunova appealed to the Moscow parliament (the Moscow City Duma) urging deputies to support a bill that would allow municipal deputies to approve appointment of heads of districts administrations, heads of out-patient clinics and schools and kindergartens principals, heads of the state budgetary institution providing utility services to citizens (Zhilishchnik) and engineering services, as well as to initiate their dismissal from posts.

Amendments to Law No. 39 “On the Empowerment of Local Government Authorities of Municipal Districts in Moscow with Separate Proxies of the City of Moscow” were drafted by Andrei Morev, head of the Yakimanka Municipal District (Yabloko). The bill was submitted to the Moscow City Duma by Municipal Councils of three municipal districts – Gagarinsky, Ostankino and Yakimanka, – dominated by deputies from Yabloko.

According to Alexander Semennikov, Chairman of the Commission on State Construction and Local Self-Government, said that the Moscow parliament would consider the bill during the spring session at the meeting of the Commission.

At present, the decision to support the bill has been taken by five more Municipal Councils where there is a democratic majority: Airport, Krasnoselsky, Lomonosovsky, Troparyovo-Nikulino and Khamovniki.

In case of adoption of the proposed changes, municipal deputies will have the right not only to hear reports from the heads of districts administrations, schools and kindergartens principals, districts utilities services organisations, as well as heads of out-patient clinics, but also submit ideas about their dismissal from office, if the Municipals Council of Deputies recognises their work unsatisfactory.

In addition, municipal deputies will have the right to express no confidence in heads of administrations, approve the candidacies for these posts, as well as candidacies of heads of educational, medical and communal services institutions.

“This legislative initiative is the right step in the direction of respecting the rights of local self-government, established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation and ratified by the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and, consequently, expansion of the currently extremely limited powers of the Councils of Deputies of municipal districts in Moscow,” Emilia Slabunova indicated in her address to the deputies of the Moscow City Duma.