More than two not to be elected – Kommersant Nizhny Novgorod

The government of the Nizhny Novgorod region took advantage of the provision of the law “On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights”, leaving the regional rule that an elected governor cannot hold this position for more than two consecutive terms. Thus, the 2023 elections may be the last for the current governor Gleb Nikitin, if he takes part in them and wins. Many other subjects of the Russian Federation are abolishing time limits. Political scientists note that the region for Mr. Nikitin and his team was initially a springboard for further career growth at the federal level, and the third five-year plan in Nizhny Novgorod will probably no longer be of interest to him.

The Committee of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod Region on State Power and Local Self-Government on Tuesday considered amendmentsintroduced by Governor Gleb Nikitin into the regional law on gubernatorial elections. Formally, regional legislation is being brought into line with the federal law “On the General Principles of Organization of Public Power in the Subjects of the Russian Federation”. In December 2021, he lifted restrictions on the third and subsequent gubernatorial terms, which many Russian regions are now actively using, canceling restrictions on the time the head of the subject is in office.

Governors of the Rostov, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk regions, the Moscow region, Mari El and some other regions will be able to be elected more than twice in a row. In each case, regional parliamentary assemblies may independently decide whether to retain or cancel restrictions on gubernatorial terms of office.

At the committee meeting, it turned out that the Nizhny Novgorod authorities decided to keep the ban on being elected governor after two terms as head of the region.

To do this, the regional government decided to use the norm of the federal law “On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights” and proposed an appropriate amendment to the regional legislation, said Leonid Litvinenko, director of the state and legal department.

At the same time, the government of the Nizhny Novgorod region decided to adjust the procedure for nominating a governor in connection with the recent transformation of municipal districts into districts. In the new version of the law “On the Election of the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region”, candidates nominated by political parties must be supported by 7% of the total number of deputies of the representative bodies of LSG.

Nominees should receive such support in the city and municipal districts of the Nizhny Novgorod region – a rather strict municipal filter has been preserved in the region.

Gleb Nikitin, who introduced these amendments, headed the Nizhny Novgorod region in the status of acting governor in September 2017 by presidential decree. A year later, he won the gubernatorial election with a score of 67.75% of the vote with a turnout of 40.52% of voters. Gleb Nikitin made the Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Strategy until 2035 the highlight of his electoral program.

One of the most significant events of his first term of office was the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod in 2021, the preparation for which was a large-scale improvement of the central territories of the city and a rich event program, which made it possible to significantly increase the flow of tourists.

The head of the Nizhny Novgorod region also announced large-scale infrastructure projects. In particular, the construction of three new metro stations in Nizhny Novgorod, the comprehensive development of Novinok-Olgino, the reform of public transport with billions of dollars of investment, as well as the creation of a world-class interuniversity IT campus and the redevelopment of the historical part of Nizhny Novgorod. Obviously, the active phase of their implementation will already take place in 2023, in September of which the next gubernatorial elections are to be held.

Gleb Nikitin himself has repeatedly denied rumors of his voluntary departure from the region. Earlier in an interview, he said that he intended to remain at the head of the Nizhny Novgorod region for a long time, and Nizhny Novgorod would “never become a stranger” for him.

The amendments proposed by him to maintain the ban for the third gubernatorial term were recommended by the legislature committee for adoption on November 24. If this norm is fixed, then the gubernatorial elections in the region in 2023, if Gleb Nikitin takes part in them and wins, will be his last.

Political scientist Konstantin Kalachev believes that Gleb Nikitin retained ambitions to move to the federal level.

“I think that restrictions on gubernatorial terms are removed by those who have no prospects. Initially, the Nizhny Novgorod region for Gleb Nikitin was a platform for demonstrating his abilities, in order to then go for a promotion. His team constantly demonstrates its innovation, passionarity and perspectives and lobbying abilities. A person who is able to prove himself in the region can count on continuing his career at the federal level. Everything that happens in Nizhny Novgorod is the creation of a springboard for an attack on Moscow, ”the expert believes.

Roman Ryskal