The main candidate for mayor of Moscow from the Communist Party was Leonid Zyuganov

On Wednesday, April 19, the Personnel Commission under the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation approved the candidacy of the grandson of the leader of the Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov, Moscow City Duma deputy Leonid Zyuganov as the main contender for participation in the autumn elections of the mayor of Moscow. This was reported to Kommersant by the leader of the capital’s communists and the head of the Communist Party faction in the Moscow City Duma, Nikolai Zubrilin.

“The personnel commission met today, and Leonid Andreyevich Zyuganov was unanimously nominated,” Mr. Zubrilin said. The main reasons for this decision, according to him, are Leonid Zyuganov’s ten years of experience in the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, eight years of experience as a deputy of the Moscow City Duma and leadership of the standing committee of the capital’s parliament on science and industry. “He also has huge support among local communists in the primary branches of the party,” added Nikolai Zubrilin.

Recall that earlier the Communist Party called a shortlist of three candidates who had a high chance of being nominated for mayor of Moscow: these are State Duma deputies Denis Parfyonov, Vadim Kumin and the first deputy chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party Yuri Afonin. However, as a source close to the leadership of the Communist Party later told Kommersant, the likelihood of Mr. Afonin’s nomination has recently decreased due to the fact that he oversees regional elections in the party, which are expected to be difficult this year.

Nikolai Zubrilin confirmed to Kommersant that the Communist Party of the Russian Federation had been deciding for a long time on potential candidates for the capital’s mayor: initially, about 13 candidates were discussed, but in the end they decided to rely on work experience in Moscow and youth (Leonid Zyuganov is 34 years old – “b”). According to Mr. Zubrilin, the official nomination of a candidate for mayor of Moscow from the Communist Party will take place at a conference of the Moscow City Party Committee, which is tentatively scheduled for late May – early June.

Elena Rozhkova