In Irkutsk Region, candidate registration for governor is still underway without signatures being submitted to the election commission. In the first week, no contender filed documents. Meanwhile, CPRF candidate Sergei Levchenko said he had passed the municipal filter, though this raised doubts and conflicting figures in the region. Only 12 days remain until registration ends, and the suspense over who will manage to submit signatures and when is only growing.

In the first days of candidate registration for the governor of Irkutsk Region, the submission of signatures to the Irkutsk Region Election Commission by any of the contenders for the region’s top office was “zero.”
During the first week, the candidates for governor had not yet approached the Election Commission. There are only 12 days left until registration ends. This was reported by the press service of the Irkutsk Region Election Commission.
Contenders must pass the “municipal filter” in order to register as candidates. Each must collect 257 signatures from deputies of local councils or heads of municipalities, of which 40 must be obtained from deputies of councils and heads of urban districts and municipal districts (while support must be secured in at least 32 municipal districts and urban districts). Candidates must submit the signatures of municipal officials for registration to the regional election commission from July 14 to July 29.
- Not a single candidate has yet submitted their signatures to us. No signals have come to us, and no one has come to us, - noted the regional election commission.
Earlier, one of the contenders – State Duma deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Sergei Levchenko – said during a press conference on July 13 that he had already passed the municipal filter, and did so independently – without the participation of the United Russia party or the regional authorities. According to him, the maximum required number of deputies and heads of municipalities signed for him. In total, as the Communist assured, he received the signatures required by law and about 10 more as a reserve.
This information caused surprise among those involved in ensuring that representatives of parliamentary parties pass the municipal filter. As a source familiar with the municipal filter situation noted, according to the information available at the time, Sergei Levchenko had received only 189 signatures, and from deputies and heads of 19 second-level municipalities.
When asked to confirm or deny this information, Sergei Levchenko said that he did not intend to do so, and stated that he would submit the signatures by the end of this week.
– I am not going to prove anything to anyone. We will submit this matter to the election commission by the end of the week, - he said.