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Kommersant
Yesterday the Moscow regional election Commission refused to register initiative group on referendum on the return of direct elections of heads of municipalities in the region. Now the initiators, from non-parliamentary parties intend to pursue the organization of a referendum through the courts. Meanwhile, the party “Apple” has announced the collection of signatures in support of direct election of mayors.
As previously reported by “Kommersant”, the majority of municipalities of the Moscow region was transformed into the urban district in which direct election of the heads is not provided. Yesterday the electoral Committee of Moscow region refused to register the initiative group that proposed to ask the citizens the question whether they agree that the elections of heads of municipalities of the Moscow region should be conducted “on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot”. The referendum was intended to initiate the representatives of the parties Yabloko, PARNAS, the “green Alliance”, the organization “Open Russia” and civic activists (see “Kommersant” on August 14).
Originally the initiators had not met any obstacles by sending in Mosoblispolkom documents for verification. Shortcomings in the set of documents the Commission did not find, and in mid-September, handed them to the deputies of the regional Duma. That is, the MPs will determine whether the question to be put to a referendum. Deputies on 28 September decided the question on the direct election referendum can not be. The Moscow regional election Commission was supposed to receive “technical, in fact, a decision of refusal” in its holding, told “Kommersant” the head of regional election Committee Irina Konovalova.
“We with such decision do not agree and we will challenge it in court”, — said “Kommersant” member of the initiative group Dmitry Trunin, representing the Moscow branch “the Apple”. Previously, to achieve a regional referendum on the issue of return of elections of the mayor of the administrative centre in the Irkutsk region failed the Communist party.
Meanwhile, the co-founder of Yabloko Grigory Yavlinsky has announced the collection of signatures for returning of direct elections of mayors and members of the Federation Council and the abolition of the municipal filter on gubernatorial elections.
The collection of signatures Mr. Yavlinsky, who is going to run for President, will spend the Internet. Party members in the text of the petition allege that the “mayors of 2044 1555 cities in the country to appoint and displace without considering the opinion of citizens”, the candidates for Governor is easy to remove from the election, while any appointees from the top, not pulling out of the region as “only execute instructions from the center”.
“Apple” expects to collect under its petition, posted on a special portal, 100 thousand signatures.