Russian election authorities announced Wednesday that upcoming local races in parts of the southwestern Kursk region held by Ukrainian forces would be postponed until Moscow regained control over those areas.
Dozens of regions across Russia are scheduled to hold elections in early September. However, amid ongoing clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces near the border, voting in 10 local government races in seven municipalities of the Kursk region originally planned for Sept. 6-8 will now be postponed.
“The process of preparing and holding elections will resume [only] with full safety guarantees for voters,” Russia’s Central Election Commission said following a meeting on Wednesday. It did not say when it expects to be able to hold the postponed races.
At the same time, election authorities said that the gubernatorial race in the Kursk region would go ahead as planned. Acting governor Alexei Smirnov, who was appointed by President Vladimir Putin earlier this year, is running in that race as a candidate from the ruling United Russia party.
Election authorities in the Kursk region on Monday announced an early voting period between Aug. 28 and Sept. 5. Kursk is among a handful of regions where remote voting will be allowed this year.
The independent news website Vyorstka, citing anonymous government sources, reported earlier this week that the Kremlin approved the decision to postpone local elections in the Kursk region until 2025. It said that the mandates of 228 municipal deputies and heads of districts would be extended for at least a year.
“It became clear that the territorial uncertainty there will remain for a long time,” one of Vyorstka’s sources was quoted as saying. “Why bother with elections if those elected couldn’t effectively manage and represent their territories?”
