MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. A Moscow City Duma election can be canceled or postponed only in exceptional cases such as martial law in the country, Moscow City Duma Chairman Alexey Shapochnikov told TASS on Monday, ruling out the possibility of seeing the September 8 election called off.
"The Moscow City Duma has no right to cancel or postpone the election dates, as they are established by the federal law and are binding," Shaposhnikov said. The voting day in the elections at different levels in the Russian regions is the second Sunday of September, when the powers of the relevant authorities expire, he explained.
"So the elections cannot be canceled or postponed, unless under exceptional circumstances, like for example when a martial law is imposed. There are no grounds for calling off or postponing the Moscow City Duma election in our situation," he stressed.
Earlier, the daily Vedomosti said one of those denied registration as a candidate in the Moscow City Duma elections, Ilya Yashin, addressed the Central Election Commission (CEC) chief with a written request for postponing the September 8 election to the Moscow city legislature until late autumn. Also, he asked CEC chief Ella Pamfilova to let opposition candidates participate.
The Moscow City Duma elections are due on September 8. A total of 233 candidates, including 171 candidates from political parties and 62 self-nominees, have been registered. Registration was denied to 57 potential candidates, including 39 self-nominees. A total of 129 candidates will be contesting Moscow City Duma seats from parliamentary parties: 45 from the LDPR, 44 from the CPRF and 40 from A Just Russia. Among the registered candidates there are also nominees from the parties Yabloko, the Communists of Russia, Rodina, the Greens and the Party of Growth.