Press Release, 13.11.2019

The regional branch of the Yabloko party in the Altai Republic acted as an initiative group to hold a referendum on the draft law “On the Return of the Popular Elections of Mayor of Gorno-Altaysk and Heads of the Altai Republic Districts,” which was previously submitted to the State Assembly by Maria Demina, deputy from the Communist Party.

All the documents required for registration of the referendum initiative group were submitted by the regional branch of Yabloko to the republican electoral commission, which is obliged to consider them and adopt a decision on the merits.

A preliminary decision on the lawfulness of submitting the bill to a referendum should be given by the Committee on Legal Policy of the State Assembly of the Republic.

Nina Dumnova, Chair of the regional branch of Yabloko, recalled that at the end of 2014, deputies from the ruling United Russia adopted a bill that deprived residents of the Altai Republic of the right to participate in the formation of local governments. Since 2014, Mayor of Gorno-Altaysk and heads of districts are elected not by residents of the Republic, but by deputies of the respective councils. Yabloko  in the Altai Republic has repeatedly demanded to repeal this law.

Earlier, Nina Dumnova, leader of the Yabloko branch in the Altai Republic, called on Viktor Romashkin,  Chairman of the Committee on Legislation, Law and Order and Local Self-Government of the State Assembly of the Republic, to include in the agenda of the upcoming session the question of the popular election of Mayor of Gorno-Altaysk and heads of municipalities in the region.

It should be noted that Yabloko stands for direct elections of mayors, governors and members of the Federation Council, without any filters and restrictions. Direct elections were one of the key items of the presidential election programme of Yabloko founder Grigory Yavlinsky in 2018.