Sergei Mironov was re-elected a member of Russia's upper house of parliament from St. Petersburg Wednesday

Sunday, June 16, 2019

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Sergei Mironov was re-elected a member of Russia's upper house of parliament from St. Petersburg Wednesday and said he hoped to remain Federation Council speaker. The candidacy of Mironov, who also leads a new political party, Just Russia, was supported by 33 out of 48 members of the 50-seat St. Petersburg legislature present at the vote. He was the only candidate. Mironov said he would request that members of the Federation Council re-approve him as speaker March 30. "I plan to approach my colleagues with a request to re-elect me chairman of the Federation Council at the upper house's earliest session March 30," said Mironov, who has held the post for about six years. He was nominated for speaker by Vadim Tyulpanov, chairman of the St. Petersburg legislature and leader of the Kremlin-backed United Russia party's branch in Russia's second city. Media reports said earlier United Russia members in the legislature had threatened to block Mironov's nomination, whose Just Russia secured a strong showing in regional polls earlier in March, and advance their own candidate. The regional elections cemented the ruling party's dominance, but Just Russia, which was only created last year, came in third, closely following the Communists, and trailed by the nationalist Liberal Democrats. But in the southern Stavropol Region, Just Russia defeated United Russia.

Bookmark Sergei Mironov was re-elected a member of Russia's upper house of parliament from St. Petersburg Wednesday