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Sobyanin ready to run in next mayoral election if supported

The main thing, according to Sobyanin, is to involve Muscovites into city management

MOSCOW, October 8 (Itar-Tass) — Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Sunday that he was ready to take part in the next mayoral election due in three years if he felt support of the citizens.

“Why not if I will feel support of Muscovites,” the mayor said in an interview with Rossiya-1 television. However, he admitted that so far Muscovites don’t have much to assess. “We have done a lot in two years, of course, but far from all. There are programs that we have launched, - they will be implemented,” the mayor pledged.

This concerns, in particular, transport problems of the city. “We work already now at 90 metro construction sites. Within the coming three years metro construction will be large-scale, and metro stations will be commissioned on a large-scale,” he said. “In three years we will reconstruct the main arterial roads of the city, will speed up public transport,” Sobyanin added.

He also said that “practically all medical equipment in our clinics will be replaced. All Moscow schools have been computerized, and teachers’ salaries have grown – they are now much higher than average salaries in the city,” he added.

However, the main thing, according to Sobyanin, is to involve Muscovites into city management. “The main problem of the megalopolis is that people cannot appeal directly to the mayor and the city leadership. The city is too big with millions of people living in it, and a mechanism must be found to involve them in that work,” the mayor said.

“If people feel that they have their voice in the city and also take part in managing it, it will be one of the main achievements,” he stressed. October 21 will mark Sobyanin’s two years in office as Moscow Mayor.