In Novosibirsk, a mayor was appointed for the first time after the abolition of direct elections – Kommersant

Former vice-president of Rostelecom and vice-governor of the Novosibirsk region Maxim Kudryavtsev became the mayor of Novosibirsk. Deputies of the City Council voted for him – the head of the city was elected in this way for the first time after the abolition of direct elections.

As reported by the publication NGS.ru, 40 deputies voted for Mr. Kudryavtsev, three voted for his competitor Igor Ukraintsev. Two more ballots were spoiled.

A special commission selected applicants for the position of candidate for mayor of Novosibirsk. A total of 21 people registered to participate in the selection. After the commission’s decision and passing the test on knowledge of the Constitution and verification of managerial experience, there were only two of them left.

Direct elections of the mayor of Novosibirsk canceled in 2023. As the initiators of the bill argued, such a change should increase the efficiency of local governments. The governor of the Novosibirsk region, Andrei Travnikov, also spoke out in support of the abolition of direct elections. Direct mayoral elections will also take place in March 2024. canceled in Ulan-Ude. After that in Russia remains there are only four administrative centers where the mayor is elected by residents, not deputies: Yakutsk, Khabarovsk, Abakan and Anadyr.

Maxim Kudryavtsev served as vice president of Rostelecom until 2016, after which he was a State Duma deputy for five years. In 2022, Governor Andrei Travnikov appointed Mr. Kudryavtsev as his deputy to work in the regional representative office in Moscow. Former mayor of Novosibirsk Anatoly Lokot at the end of December 2023 ahead of schedule gone resign.

Read more in the Kommersant article. “The competition was given the green light”.

Petr Buzlaev