The authorities in the Mari El Republic are planning to revoke the mandate of Anton Sokolov, the only local deputy with an anti-war stance, who moved to Germany in December 2022. Activist Aleksei Seryogin shared this information with '7x7' on January 11.
On January 9, Yoshkar-Ola's Mayor, Viktor Kuznetsov, directed the convening of an extraordinary session of the deputies' assembly to discuss the premature termination of Anton Sokolov's deputy term. According to activist Aleksei Seryogin, Sokolov may lose his mandate due to his absence from meetings for six months, as allowed by the law.
Deputy Sokolov moved to Germany in December 2022 but continued fulfilling his duties remotely. Disagreeing with the decision, Sokolov urged his colleagues to first clarify the reason for his absence, claiming errors in the announcement of the extraordinary session.
Aleksei Seryogin emphasized that Anton Sokolov is the sole Mari El politician openly criticizing Putin and condemning the war in Ukraine. In the autumn, Sokolov's email address for direct communication with Yoshkar-Ola residents was concealed from voters, while other deputies' addresses remained public. Additionally, the man stopped receiving daily updates on current events. He asserted that he has become 'a thorn in the side' of the United Russia party members who control the city.
In June 2023, two Novosibirsk deputies with anti-war stances, Khelga Pirogova and Sergei Boyko, had their mandates revoked. The official reason was their alleged failure to submit income and property declarations. Both politicians insisted that their documents were in order and unsuccessfully attempted to challenge the decision in court.
Ultimately, Pirogova and Boyko left Russia due to criminal persecution.
