The head of Far East Russias republic of Buryatia on Wednesdaysubmitted a bill to the region's parliament that aims to scrap mayoral elections in the capital city of Ulan-Ude.Instead of direct elections, Buryatias head Alexei Tsydenov proposed that the mayor of Ulan-Ude be elected by the city council, a local legislature.Regional deputies are expected tovote on Tsydenovs bill on Feb.
29, according tolocal media.If the measure passes, direct mayoral elections will remain in only four regional capitals, as well as Moscow and St.
Petersburg, which are federal cities.Both Tsydenov and Ulan-Ude Mayor Igor Shutenkov are members of the ruling United Russia party.Local news outlets on Wednesday published identical articles about Tsydenov's bill, with each writing that the regional headwill get a politically calm and pleasant environment in Ulan-Ude in the coming years.The mayors office will continue to engage in supporting the life of the city and its large-scale development projects without political pains in the neck, the identical articles continued.Ulan-Ude had already scrapped direct mayoral elections in 2011, but they were eventually returned four years later.The Siberian cities of Tomsk and Novosibirsk in have scrapped direct mayoral elections over the past two years.