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Self-nominee Sergei Andreyev winning Togliatti mayor elections

According to preliminary data, Andreyev has scored 56.77 percent of the vote

SAMARA, March 19 (Itar-Tass) —— Self-nominee Sergei Andreyev is winning in the elections of the mayor of the city of Togliatti, Samara region, a spokesman for the city election commission said on Monday.

According to preliminary data, Andreyev has scored 56.77 percent of the vote. His rival, Alexander Shakhov of the United Russia party, who is a deputy head of a regional government department, has won about 40.23 percent of votes, after data from 248 out of 251 balloting stations was counted. The turnout was 36.57 percent.

“No cardinal changes are expected when all the votes are counted,” the spokesman said.

On Sunday, the run-off election of the Togliatti mayor was held in the city. Two weeks ago, the city residents failed to elect a mayor from among eight candidates. To win the run-off election, a candidate need to win a simple majority of the vote. The mayor is elected for the term of five years.

Sergei Andreyev was born in 1973 in the city of Smolensk. He graduated from the University of the Russian Academy of Education, majoring in psychology. In 1999, he was appointed head of the youth department of a Togliatti district administration. In 2006, he became the leader of the local public movement December. In 2007, he became a member of the Samara Regional Duma (legislature). In 2010, he was appointed minister of environment protection of the Samara region and resigned from the post in 2011, when he engaged in the activities of the Right Cause party. In the autumn of 2011, Andreyev quitted the party after resignation of its leader, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. Andreyev is married with four children.

Among his top-priority tasks, Andreyev listed the reform of the housing and utilities sector, attraction of private investments and creation of new jobs.

“My task is to make Togliatti a place comfortable for living and working, a place to be proud of,” he said.

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