Translated material
Charter instinct
Samara deputies agreed to popular elections of the city mayor
Today the Samara City Duma will set a date for the election of the city mayor. Most likely, the elections will take place on the autumn all-Russian single voting day on October 8. City Duma deputies determined new rules by which residents will elect a mayor only on July 10.At an extraordinary meeting on July 10, deputies of the City Duma adopted the city charter, providing for popular elections of the mayor, who heads the city’s executive power. True, it will be possible to talk about setting the next date for the elections of the mayor only after the document is approved by the federal Ministry of Justice. Now he is in the department of legislation of the constituent entities of Russia of the Volga region branch of the Ministry of Justice, where Vremya Novostei was unable to obtain a comment. Since this process was taken under personal control by the Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Volga Federal District, Alexander Konovalov, there is little reason to doubt that the document will be adopted on time.
Until recently, the city had several versions of the charter. Their main difference from each other was the procedure for electing the mayor. On July 10, the so-called “people's” charter of Samara was adopted. We are talking about a document developed last summer by city hall lawyers. The bill was written in opposition to the draft charter adopted by the City Duma a year and a half ago. The parliamentary charter replaced the popular election of the city mayor with his election from among the Duma deputies. In this case, the municipal economy had to be managed by a so-called hired city manager. The “people's” charter, ultimately adopted by the deputies, contains a rule in accordance with which the mayor is popularly elected and heads the city administration.
From the comments of the deputies it follows that the adoption of the “parliamentary” version of the charter a year and a half ago should have prevented the participation in the elections of the current mayor Georgy Limansky, with whom the deputies and regional business elites have been conflicting for two years. For a year and a half, the Duma, which was in opposition to the city mayor, said that under no circumstances would it accept the “people’s” charter. In response to this, the mayor practically deprived city deputies of meeting space. The adoption of a version of the charter that did not suit the City Duma was preceded by a meeting of the regional political council of United Russia, closed to journalists, which was attended by deputies of the Samara City Duma. At it, parliamentarians were recommended to vote for the adoption of the charter, according to which the mayor of Samara is elected popularly, and the chairman of the Duma is elected from among the deputies.
The secretary of the Samara regional branch of the United Russia party, Alexander Zhivaikin, told Vremya Novostey that it was fundamental for the regional branch to determine the political position - what scheme for the formation of local self-government bodies in Samara the party advocates. “At its last meeting, the regional political council decided: Samara needs direct elections. This meeting was attended by deputies of the Samara City Duma, who for the first time in two years of the split of the Duma into supporters and opponents of the head of Samara Georgy Limansky gathered almost in full force - 31 deputies out of 35 active ones, he said. “And immediately after the meeting of the regional political council, a meeting of the Samara City Duma was held, at which deputies, by a majority of 31 votes, adopted a charter providing for the direct election of the head of the city, who will head the city administration.” According to Mr. Zhivaikin, the further process of registering the charter is a technical step. The main thing is that the political decision has been made.
At a meeting of the political council, some of the city Duma deputies asked for guarantees that the unloved Georgy Limansky would not participate in the national elections. No one could give them such guarantees, nevertheless, as a result, 27 out of 31 present promised to support the charter. Most likely, the deputies were inspired by the fact that the political council of United Russia announced its support for the speaker of the regional Duma, Viktor Sazonov, in the future elections for the head of Samara. Alexander Zhivaikin confirmed that this candidacy has already been approved not only by the regional political council, but also by the regional conference, and the party is confident of his victory.
At the same time, no one officially confirms the information that the current head of the city, Georgy Limansky, will refuse to participate in the elections, as reported by local media citing unofficial sources. The powers of Samara Mayor Georgy Limansky formally ended on July 17. But according to the law, they are extended until the date of the next elections is set. Let us recall that the Samara prosecutor's office intended to bring charges against Mr. Limansky under the articles “Forgery of Officials” and “Abuse of Official Power,” but on July 6, it unexpectedly withdrew from the court the petition to initiate a criminal case.