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Luhansk Republic leader heads public movement for peace

Organizers said the election of Plotnitsky to the post is “a milestone event for the public and political life of the LPR”

© Archive/ITAR-TASS/BelTA/Natalya Ablozhey

LUGANSK, October 6. /TASS/. The incumbent leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), Igor Plotnitsky, was elected on Monday chairman of the public organization entitled “Peace to the Luhansk Region”, the Novorossiya press center said.

The new public movement held its foundation meeting today. Organizers said the election of Plotnitsky to the post is “a milestone event for the public and political life of the LPR”.

Read also

Issue of unification of Luhansk, Donetsk republics may be raised again in 18 months' time

On October 7, Plotnitsky plans to submit documents to the LPR Central Election Commission (CEC) to be registered as a candidate for the post of republic head in the upcoming presidential elections in November. He is supposed to be a self-nominated candidate.

LPR CEC head Sergey Kozyakov said Monday the CEC asked the People’s Council (parliament) to postpone the date of presidential and parliamentary elections from November 2 to November 9 due to the necessity to repair and rebuild polling stations.

In line with the legislation of the LPR, a citizen of the LPR at least 30 years old, who has permanently resided in the republic for at least 10 years, can be elected the LPR head. The first elections of the LPR head are appointed by the LPR Supreme Council. Registration of candidates for LPR head started October 5.

In line with the law on elections to the People’s Council, its 50 deputies are elected for four years. Republican lists of candidates may be nominated by public organizations (movements).

According to the UN, some 3,500 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have fled Ukraine’s war-torn southeast as a result of clashes between Ukrainian troops and local militias in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions during Kiev’s military operation to regain control over the breakaway territories, which call themselves the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s republics.

The parties to the Ukrainian conflict agreed on cessation of fire during talks mediated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on September 5 in Belarusian capital Minsk.

Ukraine’s parliament on September 16 granted a special self-rule status to certain districts in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions for three years. Elections to local self-government bodies were set for December 7.

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