Press Release, 17.09.2020

Photo: Lev Shlosberg, deputy of the Pskov Regional Assembly from the Yabloko faction / PLN

The reduction in the number of deputies of the Pskov Regional Assembly from 44 to 26 was discussed in the program “Day Watch” on the Echo Moskvi radio station in Pskov. Lev Shlosberg, who represents the Yabloko party in the regional parliament, expressed his opinion on this initiative.

Lev Shlosberg, deputy of the Pskov Regional Assembly from Yabloko, believes that the initiators of the bill on the reduction of the deputy corps, led by Alexander Kotov, Chairman of the regional parliament, were guided by purely political motives. In his opinion, it will be easier for the ruling party to hold elections if the number of deputies decreases.

Lev Shlosberg also believes that the idea of ​​reducing the number of parliamentarians “reflects the lack of understanding by the current authorities of the region that there is a local agenda for life, that every district, even the smallest one, matters, that a large number of small problems that are not visible to the regional authorities do matter for people”, and “they [the regional authorities] do not see them from Pskov and do not want to see them.”

In addition, the parliamentarian drew attention to the apparent lack of connection between the draft law and Russian legislation: “We are getting a legislative body consisting of 26 deputies. Even if the number of voters in the Pskov region becomes less than half a million people, and, unfortunately, if nothing changes for the better in the coming years, this will happen, then Russian law allows to create legislative assemblies of up to 50 people in such regions, not even up to 44. Let us go back to the Pskov City ​​Duma. There are 25 deputies there. And this is also in line with the law.”

The leader of the Pskov Yabloko said that the proposal to reduce the number of deputies  was “a direct consequence of the achievements of the Pskov Yabloko in the elections of deputies to the Regional Assembly, including in a single-mandate constituency in 2019, elections of heads of districts and deputies of district assemblies.”

The issue of amendments to the Charter of the Pskov Region was considered on September 15 at the session of the Pskov Regional Assembly. Only deputies from Yabloko Artur Gaiduk and Lev Shlosberg voted against the amendments, deputies from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation partially abstained, partially did not vote, deputies from United Russia, A Just Russia and LDPR (36 people in total) supported the amendments; while 30 votes were required for the adoption of the bill, that is, a qualified majority of the deputies.