Omsk Court Rejects Self Nominated Mayor Candidate

Andrei Bazhenov, the self-nominated candidate for mayor of Omsk, has been rejected from the election by the Omsk Central District Court, which on Monday night found that more than 10 percent of the signatures collected in his support had violations, according to the head of the city election commission, Tamara Povelyaikina.

“The trial ended very late, at 11 pm. The decision of the election commission remains in force. Although the percentage of violations is not so great – 10.9 percent, it still exceeds the permitted limit,” Povelyaikina said.

According to Povelyaikina, among the violations identified by the commission were improperly completed lists, duplicate signatures, and signatures made with the same hand, according to a regional interior office criminal study. The review also found that one of the signature collectors working for the candidate has not yet reached adulthood. The court found these reasons sufficient to refuse registration of Bazhenov.

Povelyaikina added that the appeal of opposition candidate Vladislav Inozemtsev, would be considered on Tuesday.

The election committee decided to withdraw Inozemtsev from the mayoral election saying that more than 20 percent of the 9,500 signatures he filed with the authorities were found to be invalid.

Ten candidates were registered for the election, including representatives of all three major opposition parties – the Communists, the Liberal Democrats and A Just Russia – as well as the alleged nominee of the ruling establishment, city legislature speaker Vyacheslav Dvorakovsky, endorsed by Omsk region’s governor Viktor Nazarov.

Omsk, Russia’s seventh-biggest city with a population of 1.1 million is electing a mayor on June 17.

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