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Sobyanin offers to permit self-nominees to run in mayoral polls

The Moscow City Duma approved the first reading of the amendments in the Charter and the Moscow Election Code

MOSCOW, May 31 (Itar-Tass) —— Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin supports a bill for the electability of Moscow mayor and offers self-nominees to run in the mayoral elections.

On Thursday, the Moscow City Duma approved the first reading of the amendments in the Charter and the Moscow Election Code, which introduce Moscow mayoral elections under the requirements of the federal legislation. Under the amendments the mayor can be elected for five years, a candidate will be nominated from a political party, so, the running of self-nominees in the elections is not envisaged. A candidate for mayor should be supported by ten percent of deputies of representative bodies of local self-government and the heads of municipal entities elected at the polls in no less than three fourths of municipal entities.

At the Thursday meeting with deputies of the Moscow City Duma Sergei Sobyanin stated that he supports “a larger part of initiatives, which the bill contains,” and believes that “the bill should be considered and approved urgently.”

Meanwhile, the mayor noted that he “would like to discuss” some aspects. In particular, this is a provision that permits self-nominees to run in the mayoral elections. “There are only candidates from the parties. Thanks to a new law on the parties, we will have more parties, probably, this provision has the right for existence, but the question is not only in possibilities, but also in the ideology. This is important either,” the mayor noted. “The post of the Moscow mayor is less political, it is managerial and economic all the same. The Moscow mayor deals with the most pressing and simple issues by 99% of his work, beginning from road construction to the operation of the sewage system, water supply system and etc. It seems to me, it would be absolutely correct to give an opportunity to a candidate for mayor to be nominated not only from the parties, but also to be a self-nominee,” Sobyanin stated.

Meanwhile, he offered to bring down the election hurdle for representatives of local self-government bodies for mayoral candidates from current ten percent to six percent. He believes that despite the fact that ten percent in terms of votes is only 156 votes, it is “a serious restriction” all the same. “I believe that it is needed to bring down the election threshold for local self-government bodies to the minimal level,” Sobyanin stated, adding with confidence that “this will give a positive signal that future mayoral elections in Moscow will be open, transparent and accessible as much as possible for all future candidates.”