Penza, 25 November 2018. PenzaNews. A rally for resignation of Penza region governor Ivan Belozertsev, which was the first such mass protest in the region, was held near the entrance to Komsomolsky Park in Penza on Sunday, November 25.

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The rally organized by Left Front movement was attended by more than 80 people.

Seven of them were holding a black banner several metres long with the phrase «Suitcase. Railway station. Baranovo" and a photo of Ivan Belozertsev. According to some protesters, it was time for the head of the region to think seriously about returning to his small homeland — to the village of Baranovo of the Livensky area of the Orel region, where he had been born 60 years ago.

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The people also held posters with the inscription reading "Belozertsev, stop fighting with libraries", "Dismissal of the unwanted gives rise to revolutionaries", "Cracks in houses in Zarya are cracks in Belozertsev's reputation", "I am ready to present my house in Zarya to the governor", "Residents of Zarya need proper housing instead of promises", "We demand proper housing for immigrants", "Go away! And take the curbs with you", "It is high time the governor-tiler rested", "Governor, solve residents' problems or resign", "Real estate investors, depositors, stud farm, Zavodskoi area, Zarya", "Belozertsev must resign! Lidin must retire!"

One of the women who came to the rally held a sign "Enemy of the nation" with a photo of the head of the region.

In addition, the organizers brought a big cardboard figure of the governor with the inscription: "I supported the pension reform! I don't keep my promises! Sign for my resignation!"

The start of the meeting had to be delayed for about 15 minutes. As explained by Left Front coordinator in the Volga Region Sergei Padalkin, this happened due to the fact that the bus with Zarya residents going to the protest campaign had been stopped at a traffic police post – in the end the passengers had been given a lift by cars.

Turning directly to the purpose of the meeting, he stressed that representatives of the movement were dissatisfied with the work of region head Ivan Belozertsev for two main reasons.

According to the oppositionist, the first of them was pressure on Left Front activists, which was expressed, in particular, in dismissal from work or detention on false grounds.

"Secondly, we do not see any economic success in the region. All what Belozertsev is proud of is the development of Damate and Cherkizovo groups. However, this was done by the previous governor [Vasily Bochkarev]," Sergei Padalkin noted.

Among other problems of the region and the regional centre he mentioned dirty streets, growth of tariffs for housing and communal services and increase in fare in public transport.

"The governor, however, advertises tiles and curbs day and night. [...] All people say openly that it is clear why the governor advertises this, whose business it is, who produces it," Sergei Padalkin said.

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In turn, speaking to the audience activist of the Young Communist League Roman Stotsky reminded of the fact of taking eight komsomol members to a police station when they wanted to pass an appeal for the repair of the monument to the Fighters of the Revolution to the Ministry to Culture and Tourism of the Penza region.

Then it was Left Front coordinator in the Penza region, resident of Zarya Victor Khomets who took the floor. He got indignant of the fact that only six people dissatisfied with the quality of their flats had come to the rally from the neighbourhood, even though there were more such people, in connection with which four buses had been prepared for them.

He expressed his intention to go to Moscow for a personal reception of head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin "if we do not achieve the truth here".

Addressing the protesters, Viktor Khomets urged them to "wake up" and participate in rallies more actively, showing their discontent with the situation, after which several people chanted: "Wake up!"

At the end of the event, representative of the National Patriotic Forces of Russia Alexander Frolenkov took the floor. He expressed an opinion that officials should be personally responsible for results of their policy.

During the meeting, everyone could put a signature for the resignation of Ivan Belozertsev from post of the Penza region governor. To date, the exact number of signatures that have been collected by activists of the regional department of Left Front since August 2018 to transfer them to the Presidential administration has not been publicly announced.