Penza, 6 July 2015. PenzaNews. Ten to twelve candidates for the gubernatorial election in the Penza region have the potential to successfully pass the so-called “municipal filter,” a procedure that requires the candidates to gather signatures of deputies from the regional municipal representative bodies in their support, the chairman of the Penza region election committee Nikolai Taktarov told the press on Monday, July 6, after receiving the documents from the acting governor and the leader of United Russia Penza branch Ivan Belozertsev.

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“The working group of the regional election committee is accepting documents for review. That is, we send the requests to clarify the data about the candidates to bodies of all levels. We give a candidate the document submission confirmation form – the first and the most important document. The second one, no less important, is the permission to open an election campaign bank account that allows the candidate to do so and manage the public relations issues using their election fund. Even leaflets about the candidate – mere trifles – must be paid only from the election fund,” he explained.

According to Nikolai Taktarov, these procedures give start for the candidate to “ride through cities and roads, as they say, and seek support of the deputies.”

“I think we should have no issues with that, as we have enough deputies for 10-12 candidates. Will be enough for everyone,” said the regional election committee head.

According to forecasts, the gubernatorial election of the Penza region may feature as many as five candidates.

These are Zhigansha Tuktarov, head of the LDPR faction in the Penza City Duma, board chairman of the charity fund “Siyanie”; Ivan Belozertsev, acting governor, secretary of the regional United Russia branch; Gennady Yeroshin, non-affiliated candidate promoted by the regional branch of “A Just Russia” party, Distinguished Doctor of the CIS, head of the management department of the regional war veterans hospital; Vladimir Simagin, State Duma deputy of the Communist Party faction; and, supposedly, Vladimir Popkov, chairman of the regional branch of Rodina political party, Nikolai Taktarov clarified.

“At the very least, rumors everywhere say Vladimir Anatolyevich [Popkov] will be the fifth,” Nikolai Taktarov noted.

He stressed that each candidate must notarize every signature in his support, while the regional election committee will be ready to verify each issue that arises with the individual deputy.

“The last day for candidate application is July 19. The candidate must bring here the documents for registration by July 29. […] There are 270 main signatures and 13 reserve signatures, so every candidate is required to bring 283 signatures. […] If somebody ends up with 269 signatures, he gets turned down,” he noted.

Nikolai Taktarov also added the candidates may already begin their election campaigns, but without using any electronic or print media.

“The trustees are already working along – each candidate may have up to 200 of them. Moreover, each one will form their election fund with the spending limit of 50 million rubles,” concluded the Penza region election committee chairman.