Press Release, 12.09.2019

Deputies of the Legislative Assembly of Karelia rejected Yabloko’s bill on the return of direct mayoral elections in the Republic of Karelia.

Five deputies voted for the bill, and 20 against.

“Introduction of the institute of city managers and rejection of general direct elections of mayors significantly weakened local self-governing, but a strong statehood is impossible without strong local self-governing. Local self-government is the foundation of the state,” said one of the authors of the law,  Yabloko Chair Emilia Slabunova.

Appointment of city managers not only did not improve the quality of city management, but led to the fact that the development of cities actually stopped, Slabunova stressed.

“We see this in the example of Petrozavodsk: certainly, the streets and sidewalks are being repaired, this is important and necessary, but this is not the development of the city. There are no growth points, nothing qualitatively new appears, and the potential of the city is not being realised. This is not an exception, such a situation has developed in almost all cities now,” Slabunova said.

Earlier, the bill was not supported by members of the relevant committee of the Karelian parliament.

It should be noted that direct mayoral elections were canceled in Karelia in June 2015, in the midst of confrontation between Galina Shirshina, the last popularly elected mayor of Petrozavodsk (elected with the support of Yabloko), and Alexander Khudilainen then-Governor of the republic. The parliament of Karelia immediately in three readings adopted amendments to the regional election law, according to which the head of the Karelian capital is elected by the City Council from among the candidates who are presented by the special selection commission.

Already on 25 December, 2015, deputies of the Petrozavodsk City Council dismissed Galina Shirshina from the post of elected Mayor for allegedly failing to fulfill her duties for three or more months. Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen agreed to her resignation. Yabloko considers Shirshina’s resignation be a political order and the revenge of the ex-Governor of Karelia.