The Leningrad Region Parliament will consider lifting the ban on a third gubernatorial term

At the last meeting of the Legislative Assembly of the Leningrad Region this year on December 4, deputies will consider amendments to the region’s Charter, lifting the ban on the same person serving as governor for more than two consecutive terms. This decision was made today, November 27, by the parliament’s standing commission on state structure.

Let us recall that in 2022, the Leningrad region became one of the few subjects of the Russian Federation where deputies did not abolish the previously existing limit on gubernatorial terms after the federal law on public power came into force, which gave the regions the right to make their own decisions in this regard. The current Leningrad governor, Alexander Drozdenko, was then in favor of maintaining the ban. In 2012, he was confirmed in this position on the proposal of the president, and in 2015 and 2020 he won direct elections.

The initiative to legitimize the indefinite re-election of the head of the region became known on November 24. The corresponding proposal was put forward by the chairman of the Legislative Assembly’s standing commission on state structure, international, interparliamentary and public relations, United Russia member Stanislav Eremeev. At the same time, he referred to numerous appeals from residents, district administrations and public organizations, including the Union of Veterans of the Northern Military District, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Public Chamber of the Leningrad Region.

At today’s commission meeting, some deputies asked why there was such a rush to adopt the amendments. “Last week we learned about the commission’s meeting, last Friday the agenda was already formed, and today we are already submitting the issue for consideration. Why are we resolving such an important issue so quickly?” – fellow party member Nikita Koval asked Mr. Eremeev. “If only all the bills in the Leningrad region were prepared so quickly,” added Dmitry Zvonkov, a deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

The chairman of the commission responded by saying that requests had been received throughout the fall, and as “Russian people who do not like to postpone important matters until the New Year,” the initiators of the bill decided to submit it to the last meeting in 2023, which will take place on December 4. At the same time, Stanislav Eremeev urged his colleagues not to substitute concepts. “We are not discussing whether the appeals related to a specific head of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation. In this case, we are talking about the right of citizens of the Leningrad region not to be limited in electoral opportunities, which are enshrined in other regions and permitted by federal legislation,” he explained. As a result, the majority of commission members voted for the amendments to be submitted at the meeting on December 4.

How past and future elections helped governors strengthen their positions – in the material “Kommersant”.

Alexandra Ten, St. Petersburg