Direct elections for mayors are disappearing even where the law allows them to be preserved. In Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the largest of these cities, they are preparing to proceed with the election of the mayor by city Duma deputies from candidates proposed by the governor. The amendments are scheduled to be tested in early December, after public hearings. The current mayor, Dmitri Zaplutiev, won the 2024 election from United Russia, replacing LDPR representative Alexander Zhurnik.
Mayors elected by residents remain only in Abakan and Benadir - their powers last until 2029. The following heads should be chosen by deputies according to the proposal of the governors. Kursk, Krasnoyarsk, Murmansk, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary and Yakutsk have already undergone such a procedure. Outside the capitals, the preservation of direct elections depends on the decisions of regional authorities and agreements with local elites.
If Komsomolsk-on-Amur changes its charter, Bartsk will become the largest city with direct elections for the mayor. There, in 2024, self-candidate Alexander Dobrovin, who was a member of United Russia, scored 68.55% and defeated the incumbent mayor Sergey Srebarnikov, who was officially supported by the party. Srebernikov was also supported by Governor Igor Kobzhev and Senior Representative Anatoly Serishev, Dubrovina was supported by Senator Andrey Chernyshev.
In Rybinsk, the powers of Dmitry Rudkov, elected by the residents, expire in May 2027. Two-thirds of the required votes in the city council are still not available to cancel direct elections. Rudakov himself also advocates maintaining direct elections.