No communist support to mayor candidates
The Murmansk Oblast regional branch of The Russian Communist Party has decided not to support any of the two candidates in the second voting round in the elections to post as Mayor of Murmansk.
At a conference last Friday, Head of the regional branch, Gennady Stepakhno declared that the party will not express political support to any of the two candidates, and encouraged people to vote for whoever they want, TV21 reports. Stepakhno believes the elections have become an arena for mud-slinging and accusations.
The Communist Party is still a rather powerful force in Murmansk Oblast. Even after the loss in the first voting Round, it is able to influence the power balance in the region. Stepakhno came on third place in the elections. He received 17 percent of the votes, while current Mayor Mikhail Savchenko got 31 percent and ex-deputy Governor Sergey Subbotin got 24 percent.
