Astrakhan hosts rally in support of referendum on direct Mayor election

On June 11, in Astrakhan, near the monument to Ilya Ulyanov, city residents held a rally sanctioned by the city authorities in support of the referendum on the direct election of the city Mayor. The rally was organized by Oleg Shein, the leader of the local branch of the "Spravedlivaya Rossiya" (Fair Russia) Party. The meeting lasted for about 45 minutes and ended without incident.

The rally held on June 11 was attended by no more than 80 persons, and most of them were middle-aged and elderly ones. In their hands, the activists were holding Russian tricolour flags and the flags of the "Spravedlivaya Rossiya" Party, the "Astrakhan-Online" reports.

Part of the activists came to the monument to Ilya Ulyanov with posters in their hands, including those reading, in particular: "Rogues to be imprisoned, and Astrakhan residents to be provided with honest Mayor!", "Part 1 of Article 3 of Constitution: the people is the only bearer of sovereignty and the only source of power."

The gathered protestors were addressed by Oleg Shein and his closest associates Evgeny Dunaev, Nadezhda Kalashnikova, and Vasily Vorokh. In their speeches, they criticized the local authorities and spoke in favour of the referendum on the Mayor election.