Another election scandal in Krasnoyarsk in Siberia?

On Monday the Krasnoyarsk territorial court has taken a judgment which may change the course of gubernatorial elections, slated for September 8. In turn, the debatable decision may touch off another election scandal in this region of Siberia. Under it, in the next few days the number of claimants to the post of governor of the Krasnoyarsk region may be cut by ten, who have filed in applications to the regional election commission after June 19. The court has fully satisfied the complaint of a candidate, speaker Alexander Uss of the territorial Legislative Assembly, who fears a strong electoral competition from other candidates. Uss lodged a protest against the decision of the regional election commission which allows all candidates prior to August 3 to declare their desire to run for election, which is fully in line with the federal law.

Meanwhile, the local law on gubernatorial elections requires from claimants to send in notifications only during 30 days since the time when elections were called, or actually to June 19 inclusive. In this way, the fate of all claimants to the post of governor who have handed in documents after June 19 is now in question.

The territorial election commission is going to take an appeal against the court judgment during ten days. Chairman of the commission Georgi Kostrykin said that a final decision may be taken by the Supreme Court, which may reverse the judgment of the local court.

Gubernatorial elections in the Krasnoyarsk Territory are held early in view of the death of former chief of the regional administration Alexander Lebed, who died in an air crash last April 28.