Penza, 2 May 2018. PenzaNews. Coordinator of the Left Front in the Volga Federal District Sergei Padalkin called head of the Penza region Ivan Belozertsev a weak governor.

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"In my opinion, Ivan Belozertsev is definitely a weak governor. The reason lies in the fact that he does not make emphasis on achieving real results in his work but rather on favourable positioning himself in the media," the opposition activist said making a comment to the centre of information communications Rating, which prepared the national rating of governors for March and April 2018, in which Ivan Belozertsev occupied 40th position.

According to Sergei Padalkin, the Penza region head "makes promises and gives instructions that are never fulfilled or followed, in addition he does not know how to build a dialogue with civil society, initiative groups, representatives of opposition".

"The governor promised to help deceived construction investors – he failed. This resulted in a strong protest movement. Since November last year the deceived construction investors have been participating in rallies; one-person protests at the building of the regional government have been held every day for a month already; they even went to Moscow to hold protests near the presidential administration and the State Duma," the coordinator of the Left Front in the Volga Federal District reminded.

He also added that two large protest events had been held a week before the Russian presidential elections in the Penza region but the governor and his staff had chosen not to negotiate with people, and mass media had begun to throw mud at the organizers and the participants.

"Governor's narcissism especially clearly manifested itself at the elections of the regional head, when Ivan Belozertsev received 86.04% of the vote. This result is unattainable even for President of Russia Vladimir Putin, who received 79.98% at the elections in the Penza region. It is obvious that the rating of Governor cannot be higher than the rating of President. But it is obvious to everyone except Governor," Sergei Padalkin said.

The opposition activist suggested that "such a result was achieved by means of falsification".

"I think the people occupying positions higher than Governor understand this. Sooner or later, people will recall this – for example at the moment when the decision about Ivan Belozertsev's second term will be made," he said.

Sergei Padalkin also drew attention to resonant criminal cases opened in the Penza region.

"The following people are under investigation: the former vice governor [Valery Savin], the former deputy chairman of the Penza City Duma [Georgy Tyurin], two vice mayors [Vladimir Popkov and Irina Shirshina]. In April the head doctor of the regional oncology dispensary [Vitaly Serebryakov] was detained for bribe-taking, and so on. At the same time, a few days later the governor stated with a serious face that the minister of health of the Penza region [Vladimir Struchkov] had told him the head doctor was an honest and decent man, that he believed the minister," he added.

Continuing the idea about the unwillingness of the region head to listen to residents' opinion and to react to criticism, the Penza opposition activist mentioned the initiative to move the stele Glory to Heroes from Sobornaya square, which until recently was called Sovetskaya square, to Prospekt Pobedy street.

"This idea is actively lobbied by Governor, but arouses a protest in the society. And again, instead of entering into a dialogue, instead of holding a public opinion poll, Ivan Belozertsev makes his own decision to move the stele," he explained.

According to Sergei Padalkin, such a position of the head of the constituent entity of the federation leads to dissatisfaction in civil society.

"It has not transformed into active protest activities yet but we can say that over the last three years the rejection of Ivan Belozertsev in certain circles has reached the scale that never existed during 17 years of Vasily Bochkarev governance. And this is an alarming bell for Governor" he concluded.