Unprecedented and very cool.
I can’t recall a case where a cross-party coalition of opposition deputies making up as much as 20% of the legislature’s full membership (9 out of 45 deputies) put forward for a vote a motion of no confidence in the head of that legislature.
This is very cool. This is real parliamentarianism and real politics.
Moscow City Duma chairman Shaposhnikov was rude, violated procedural rules, and, as we recently learned, concealed income and failed to declare it. In short, typical behavior for a senior United Russia politician.
For all these 20 years, the Kremlin has conditioned both deputies and society to believe that this sort of thing must simply be tolerated. Stay silent, and don’t even try to resist—it’s useless.
And here the deputies have staged a real revolt. And in tightly controlled Moscow, no less, where Sobyanin hands out money by the suitcase in exchange for political loyalty. I’m very glad that their demands are based on ACF’s investigation into Shaposhnikov.
Read the explanatory note to the draft resolution. It is an outstanding political document:
And here is what deputy Timonov says (cheers to everyone who voted for him through “Smart Voting”!), who served as the draft’s editor. Timonov, by the way, is a member of the commission that reviews asset and income declarations. Here you can follow him on Facebook. Here is his Telegram channel.
It is extremely important for all of us right now to support these excellent deputies and their campaign to remove the corrupt Shaposhnikov from office.
They may not have enough votes to pass the resolution, but Muscovites should know that United Russia and Sobyanin were defending a billionaire deputy who hid a billion from the voters.
Here are the nine honest deputies we are proud of and ready to support. They work for us and for the country: Timonov, Besedina, Stupin, Yengalycheva, Yanchuk, Savostyanov, Loktev, Maksimov, Sheremetyev.
All of them are “Smart Voting” candidates!