Khabarovsk City Duma Ends Direct Mayoral Elections, Shifts to Governor Appointments
The Khabarovsk city legislature voted to replace direct mayoral elections with an appointment system controlled by the regional governor, leaving only two Russian regional capitals with elected mayors.
The regional assembly in Khabarovsk passed a measure abolishing direct elections for the city’s mayor, instituting a system where the governor proposes candidates and the city Duma elects one of them. This change comes shortly after Mayor Sergei Kravchuk stepped down to assume a role in the lower-house State Duma. The reform aligns with a broader Kremlin-led campaign that has seen dozens of regional capitals discard elected mayors since the late 2000s. In 2024, the State Duma enacted a local-government law allowing such shifts, creating a "unified system of public authority" while permitting smaller towns to keep direct votes.
As a result, only the capitals of Khakassia (Abakan) and Chukotka (Anadyr) continue to hold direct mayoral elections. The policy reflects ongoing centralisation of municipal power across Russia.
Why it matters
It reduces local democratic participation and expands regional executive control over city leadership.
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