Penza, 21 September 2015. PenzaNews. Ivan Belozertsev has officially entered into office as the governor of the Penza region during the 29th extraordinary session of the regional Legislative Assembly of the fifth convocation that was held on Monday, September 21, in the Lunacharsky Drama Theater.

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The event featured such official guests as Mikhail Babich, Presidential envoy in the Volga Federal District, and his assistant Oleg Melnichenko; Russian Federation Council members and State Duma deputies; renowned businessmen and workers of culture; and the ex-governor of the Penza region Vasily Bochkarev.

The fanfares in the Drama Theater announced the beginning of the official ceremony at exactly 15.00.

The color squads brought into the scene the flags of the Russian Federation and the Penza region, the Russian Constitution, the charter of the region, and the badge of the governor.

Immediately after, the chairman of the Penza region Legislative Assembly Valery Lidin reminded in his speech that Ivan Belozertsev achieved an unrivaled victory during the gubernatorial election.

The speech was followed by the official inauguration ceremony.

Ivan Belozertsev went on the scene through the central passage of the theater auditorium to the strains of the orchestra, and swore the oath at the central podium.

“I swear, as the governor of the Penza region, to faithfully perform the high duties imposed on me; to respect and protect the rights and freedoms of people and civilians; to observe the Russian Constitution and the federal laws, the charter and the laws of the Penza region; to truly serve the people,” he swore.

After that, the broadcaster announced that Ivan Belozertsev has now entered into office as the governor of the Penza region. The announcement was followed by the anthem of the Russian Federation.

The official part of the inauguration ceremony will continue with a concert in the Drama Theater.

As PenzaNews agency reported earlier, on May 25, 2015, Ivan Belozertsev was appointed the acting governor of the Penza region by the decree of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, after the term of the previous governor Vasily Bochkarev, who had been heading the region since 1998, had ended.

On September 13, Ivan Belozertsev won the regional gubernatorial election. He received the support of the unrivaled public majority – nearly 600,000 voters, or over 86%.

According to the charter of the Penza region, the governor is elected for a term of 5 years, starting from the day of their inauguration, and may not hold this office for more than two terms in a row.