Svobodna Dnevnik

[Hadash]

Svobodna Dnevnik

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Unexpected left-wing upheaval in local elections
By: Polina Lamparska
Published: Alvan, 1599


Activist Miroslava Jagodek, unknown a year ago, was elected mayor of Slovograd, Mordvania's capital city, and will become the youngest mayor in the city's history.

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The Centre Democratic Party were able to resist in the second round of the local elections, and it will govern in one-quarter of the top 15 Mordvanian towns. However, it obtained a poor result in the largest towns, as the largest city with a Centre Democratic Party voyvode (a political office similar to mayor or local governor) will be Mazenskai, the seventh largest city in the country.

Then, the ruling Centre Democratic Party obtained a disappointing result, obtaining only 22.2% (while they second best nationwide result in a local elections, almost fifteen points behind the last national election two years ago), ending behind the Social Green Left Alternative (LDZA) which obtained 25.1% with a striking comeback (the left-wing coalition had only obtained 11% in the last legislative election).

The left-wing Social Green Left Alternative (created only less than three years ago, as an electoral coalition formed by the Republican Social Radical Party, the Left Party, and the Green Party), despite constant rumours of divisions and internal criticism, and it will govern in half of the largest eight towns. Along former president Zvezdana Serebryak, who was reelected as voyvode of Brezedina, the left-wing coalition also obtained clear victories in Slawowo and Amsberg (the latter, a Centre Democratic Party's stronghold, which had ruled in the city since 1583), and a minimal victory in the capital city, Slovograd, in which left-wing activist Miroslava Jagodek defeated Centre Democratic Party's candidate and former President of the Republican Council Zdravka Magajna. Jagodek, 35, a local activist who participated actively in the recent anti-corruption protests and without known experience in electoral politics, was nominated by the Green Party in the LDZA primaries and surprised both rivals and media with a grassroot campaign.

The left-wing coalition was able to present themselves as the main alternative to the Centre Democratic Party, which reforms have found increasingly opposition recently, and the Mordvanian Republican Party, lately discredited following the so-called Handke Tapes scandal. It was the worst result for the center-right Mordvanian Republican Party in a local election since 1546, and they lost power in most cities, with the exception of Matej Finzgar who was reelected as voyvode in Visnja.

The Mordvanian Democratic Union, a recent conservative split from the Mordvanian Republican Party, won in Mestarka, the second-largest Mordvanian city, after defeating the Mordvanian Republican Party incumbent. The Mordvanian Democratic Union obtained 10% of the vote nationwide, received voters from both the center-right republican party and the far-right Mordvanian National Party which only obtained 9% of the vote, and the only main Mordvanian National Party incumbent candidate lost the election in Opoblina to an independent candidate who received the support in the second round of most of the other political parties.