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Astrakhan protest not on State Duma agenda

The winner of the Astrakhan mayoral elections held Mikhail Stolyarov. However, Just Russia members state that their party's candidate Oleg Shein

MOSCOW, April 13 (Itar-Tass) —— The State Duma has not included the situation in Astrakhan in its discussion agenda for this Friday.

Legislators have not supported the Just Russia party's proposal to include in the agenda the report of a special group of deputies who in late March visited the Astrakhan hunger strikers protesting against the announced results of the mayoral elections.

State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin on Thursday said the State Duma on April 13 would consider the report of the group. "The State Duma at the meeting will give the final document of the working group that some time ago was sent to Astrakhan to attentively study the situation. One of the working group members will speak," he said.

However, the issue was not included officially in the agenda. Just Russia members stated it was necessary to discuss it, but most of the Duma members did not support them.

The winner of the Astrakhan mayoral elections held on March 4 officially is United Russia's candidate Mikhail Stolyarov. According to the official information, he won about 60 percent of the votes. However, Just Russia members state that their party's candidate Oleg Shein, a member of the Astrakhan regional Duma, won the elections. According to the official data, he won about 30 percent.

In protest against the announced results of the vote, some representatives of the party, including Shein himself, declared a hunger strike. Later, some Moscow opposition activists joined them.

On March 23, the decision was taken to send four Duma deputies to Astrakhan to study the situation at the site. They are members of the Duma working group for investigation into violations in elections. The group was headed by liberal democrat Sergei Ivanov.

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