Novaya Gazeta, 18.01.2016

Photo: Galina Shirshina, ex-Mayor of Petrozavodsk. Photo by RIA Novosti

Residents of Petrozavodsk intend to deprive of mandates those city councilors who voted for the dismissal of the ex-Mayor Galina Shirshina. The TASS agency informs that the motion on registration of the initiative group for conducting a local referendum has been submitted to the territorial electoral commission.

“We have received a request for registration of the referendum initiative group. There are 24 questions, including 23 questions on the recall of mandates from councilors [of the Petrozavodsk City Council] and one to amend the city charter,” Grigory Futrik, Chair of the Commission, said.

According to the city charter, a councilor will lose the mandate if at least half of the registered voters in the constituency vote for recalling his/her powers.

According to the Chairman of the Commission, the initiative group can be registered after the documents submitted to the commission are verified and questions submitted to referendum are checked for their compliance with the law. It may take about 50 days.

To hold a referendum it is required to collect the signatures of 5 per cent of the total population of Petrozavodsk (about 10,500 people). Collection of signature must be completed within 20 days.

The date of the referendum shall be designated by the Petrozavodsk City Council.

According to the estimates of the City Electoral Commission, if the referendum is held, it will cost the city budget about 10 – 11 million roubles.

It should be noted, that in late 2015, 23 out of the 26 deputies of the City Council voted for dismissal of Petrozavodsk Mayor for her alleged failure to fulfill obligations for three months or more. They expressed their complaints to Galina Shirshina on 68 pages. Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen approved their decision.

However, part of local residents did not agree with such a decision of the authorities. Several rallies in support of Galina Shirshina were held in the city.

The ex-Mayor lodged a lawsuit to the Petrozavodsk City Court demanding to recognize the decision of the councilors unlawful and revoke it. The first hearing of the court is scheduled for 19 January.

Earlier Public Prosecutor’s office showed concern in the dismissal of Shirshina.

Galina Shirshina has been Mayor of Petrazavodsk since 11 September, 2013. The first thing she did in the post was cancelling the inauguration, explaining that the ceremony required undue expenditure of budgetary funds. Thus, the ex-Mayor economised several million of budget funds.

Source: http://www.novayagazeta.ru/news/1699373.html