New election results in Arkhangelsk
A recount of the votes from last Sundays city mayors elections in Arkhangelsk shows that Larisa Bazanova did not win the vote, afterall. The actual winner is acting mayor Viktor Pavlenko, the local election commission now says.
The first counting of the votes showed that Ms. Bazanova, a business woman from Moscow and an ally of former controversial mayor Aleksandr Donskoy, got 37,55 percent of the votes, while acting mayor Pavlenko getting 37,41 percent. Only 70 votes separated the two candidates. The city election commission on Monday declared Ms. Bazanova the election winner. However, Viktor Pavlenko, who is heavily backed by the regional power elite, demanded a recount. The recount was made and shows a different result. According to the election commission, the actual winner of the vote is Viktor Pavlenko with 37,4 percent support. Larisa Bazanova got 37,14 percent. The new results are expected to spur major debate in the political environment in the city. They will also trigger massive criticism among the supporters of Larisa Bazanova, who will accuse the election commission of giving in to pressure from the regional administration and the powerful supporters of Mr. Pavlenko Mr. Pavlenko will now with big certainty rule the city of Arkhangelsk the next four-year period. After a period of troublesome relations between the city administration and the regional administration, the city will see a politically more stable period coming.
