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Early mayoral elections start in Novosibirsk

NOVOSIBIRSK, April 06, /ITAR-TASS/. More than 600 polling stations have opened in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk as early mayoral elections get under way.

A total of 1, 145, 776 voters can take part in the vote with no absentee ballots.

Eleven candidates are running for the post of mayor of Novosibirsk: acting mayor of Novosibirsk Vladimir Znatkov (the United Russia party); Russian State Duma deputy Anatoly Lokot (the Communist Party); Dmitry Savelyev (LDPR); Sergei Troitsky, the leader of the Corrosion of Metal group (Against All movement); Vladimir Anisimov, the former vice-governor of the Novosibirsk region (Russian Cities); Anatoly Kubanov, a deputy of the legislative assembly of the Novosibirsk region (A Just Russia party); Alexander Tarkov (The Working Russia); Alexei Yuzhanin (The Party of Russia’s Spiritual Transformation); Sergei Ovchinnikov (The Russian Party of People’s Governance) and Roman Starikov (The Communists of Russia). Pensioner Yevgeny Loginov, representing the Russian Breakthrough movement, is the only self-nominated candidate.

The Novosibirsk elections went down in the Russian Book of Records by the number of candidates who initially submitted their registration documents - 35.

There will be only one round. The winner will be elected by the majority of votes.

Novosibirsk’s former mayor Vladimir Gorodetsky who has occupied the post since 2000 stepped down ahead of time on January 9, 2014. He was appointed vice-governor of the Novosibirsk region the same day.

Vladimir Znatkov became Novosibirsk’s acting mayor.

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