ST. PETERSBURG, August 21 (Itar-Tass) — Polling stations in the Okrug Petrovsky and Krasnenkaya Rechka municipalities in St. Petersburg opened at 08.00. Early polls are held in them to elect additional deputies to municipal councils.
St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko is registered as a candidate in both districts.
Five polling stations, registering 7,800 voters opened doors in the Okrug Petrovsky, Itar-Tass learnt on Sunday from chairman of the district election commission Vyacheslav Alexeyev.
According to the chairman, seven candidates, including Matviyenko, contest for three seats at this municipal council. The United Russia Party slated three candidates, while others are independents. “Some of them represent various political parties,” Alexeyev specified.
Chairman of the Krasnenkaya Rechka election commission Sergei Ponomaryov said that his district opened six polling stations where 13,000 voters are registered. They will have to elect three additional deputies; the seats are claimed by nine hopefuls, including Matviyenko.
The voting will end at 20.00; then ballot-counting will start.
The voting results are expected to be summed up on Monday, August 22.
According to press service chief of the police department of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region Vyacheslav Stepchenko, 350 municipal police officers will ensure law and order on Sunday.
On July 31, Petersburg Governor Matviyenko stated that on August 21, she would run in elections at the Okrug Petrovsky and Krasnenkaya Rechka municipal councils. She emphasized that all procedures on announcing elections at the above mentioned municipal councils passed in compliance with law.
If Matviyenko is elected a municipal deputy, she will get a chance to be delegated to the Federation Council whose members already promised to elect her Speaker.