The City Duma of Tomsk approved changes to the City Charter and canceled the direct election of the mayor, the meeting was broadcast on the website of the Duma. 25 deputies voted “for”, four were against, three abstained, Taiga.Info notes .
The bill to abolish the election of the mayor was publicly supported by the governor of the region Vladimir Mazur:
"Under today's conditions, I consider elections through a contest more preferable."
In almost all regions of Russia, direct elections of mayors have been cancelled. Now residents of Khabarovsk, Yakutsk, Abakan, Novosibirsk, Anadyr, Ulan-Ude and all municipalities of Khakassia, including Abakan, can choose heads.
Earlier, a regional law on the abolition of elections in Tomsk was adopted by the regional Duma and signed by Governor Vladimir Mazur. The bill was introduced by a group of United Russia members headed by the speaker of the regional Duma, Oksana Kozlovskaya. At the same time, the leadership of the city duma, headed by United Russia member Chingis Akataev, refused to call an emergency meeting after open indignation of some deputies who opposed it.