Ex Mayor of Petrozavodsk awarded a prize by European politicians
// Kommersant, by Taisia Bekbulatova, 25.04.2016

Ex Mayor of Petroavodsk [capital of Karelia] Galina Shirshina received a prize today within the LeaDeR Awards conducted annually in Brussels. The prize is awarded to politicians in several nominations for outstanding work in the field of governing on the regional and local levels.

The former Mayor of Petrozavodsk was awarded the prize in a special nomination of Hans van Baalen, President of ALDE (the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe which has a faction in the European Parliament). Ms. Shirshina was received a statuette and a certificate for substantial progress as Mayor, transparency in city governing and fight against corruption.

According to Mr. van Baalen, the LeaDeR Award is intended to mark excellent work of liberal politicians who “make their municipality or region a better place to live in”. He also recalled that in general “all politicians are local”.

It should be noted that in December last year, members of the Petrozavodsk City Council dismissed Mayor of Petrozavodsk Galina Shirshina, who had been elected with the support of YABLOKO. She was accused of failure to implement her duties and court decisions. Ms. Shirshina is in conflict with the Governor of the region Alexander Hudilainen. In early 2015 Speaker of the Petrozavodsk Council Oleg Fokin, who collaborated with the lady-Mayor was arrested, and then the deputies put an unsatisfactory mark to the report of Galina Shirshina.
Source: http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2973149