Political scientist Mazur: Meiksin’s appointment passed without surprises, Vishnevsky could not interfere
The former head of the Central District of St. Petersburg, Maxim Meiksin, became the “political vice-governor” as a result of a vote of the city parliament on October 13. 43 deputies spoke in support of it, two were against it. Governor Alexander Beglov suggested considering Meiksin's candidacy.
After taking office, he will be responsible for youth policy, issues of interaction with the media, interethnic issues, the development of government in the city and local self-government, interaction of the executive branch with religious, political and public associations.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Alexander Belsky, who previously held the post of vice-governor in Smolny, called his successor a professional the day before. Belsky emphasized that Meiksin was exposed to all aspects of the work of the deputy head of the region for internal policy even as head of the Central Region, and therefore is ideal for this position. Many deputies also spoke out about Meiksin’s effective work in the region and the Smolny Committee on Industry and Innovation.
Only Yabloko deputy Boris Vishnevsky did not openly support Maxim Meiksin. In its TG-channel he wrote that he voted “against”, since it was the Central District that was the leader in election violations in 2021, and the administration “supports political scammers blocking the work of the Liteiny Okrug and Smolninskoye municipalities,” where opposition candidates were elected in 2019.
Vishnevsky himself went to the Legislative Assembly in electoral district No. 2, where Smolny candidate Alexander Rzhanenkov was also nominated, who eventually entered parliament. Two “doubles” of the Yabloko deputy registered there, and during the voting on September 17-19, observers and journalists reported numerous violations.
Political strategist Oleg Mazur is not surprised that the voting on the candidacy of Maxim Meiksin in the Legislative Assembly passed without surprises.
“There was no doubt that Meiksin would be approved for the position by the “pocket” parliament under the leadership of Belsky. This parliament votes unanimously and past meetings have already shown this. Vishnevsky, who previously opposed Meiksin’s candidacy, had no chance,” he said.
Mazur added that he considers the vice-government a “gift” for Meiksin, which was thought about during the election campaign, and suggested that he could have been directly promised a position if he did not notice, or even organize falsifications in support of candidate Alexander Rzhanenkov at PECs controlled by the second electoral district.
Earlier, this opinion was expressed by other representatives of the expert community: political scientist Ilya Shesterikov called the promotion “a reward for Beglov’s vassal” for completing the task of ensuring Rzhanenkov’s passage to the Legislative Council, and city defender Krasimir Vranski noted that this dubious appointment will definitely not increase the level of trust in the city government.
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