Penza, 14 September 2015. PenzaNews. Hundreds of Penza citizens gathered up on Lenina square in the evening of Monday, September 14, to congratulate Ivan Belozertsev with a definitive victory in the gubernatorial election. According to preliminary information, he received 86.04% of the vote.

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In return, Ivan Belozertsev thanked those who believed in him and supported him.

“This is a great event for me. This political event is important […] also because the election was transparent, open, sincere and competitive. Moreover, we managed to squeeze out great turnover of 62%,” he pointed out.

Ivan Belozertsev expressed his particular gratitude to the opponents “for being honorable and providing constructive recommendation,” noting that many points from the election programs of other election candidates will be included in his own program as a governor and fulfilled through cooperation with them.

“I will do everything to develop our Penza region together with you. Thank you very much!” he said.

Ivan Belozertsev was followed by the head of his public relations headquarters Alexander Kalashnikov, Distinguished Construction Worker of Russia, Honored Citizen of Penza, head of the city administration in 1992-2004.

“We gathered here today to tell you, dear Penza citizens, how grateful we are for the help and the election we had, for the great trust to our governor. The election was fair – no cheating, no smearing. Our candidate, our governor, is truly a people’s leader,” he stressed.

According to Alexander Kalashnikov, Ivan Belozertsev managed to earn the popularity with the majority over the months since the moment the Russian President Vladimir Putin had entrusted him the office of the acting governor.

The next speaker, Ivan Filyurin, former Minister of Agriculture of the Penza region, chairman of the agricultural cooperative “Petrovsky,” Ivan Belozertsev’s trustee, reminded the audience that “victory is brief, next come the five years of painstaking work.”

“Let us all be creative in all areas – to earn a bit more, to help our Russia develop. Ivan Alexandrovich, you are a part of Russia and will be representing the people living in this land,” he addressed the leader of the regional United Russia branch.

Ulyana Bezrukova, member of the youth parliament to the Penza region Legislative Assembly, also congratulated Ivan Belozertsev with the election victory.

“From all our youth, who are numerous here […] we congratulate you with the great victory in the gubernatorial election. Our youth needs a strong governor who still remembers the time of youth and knows our struggles. The high vote percent in your favor once again shows the trust in you. The trust from young families, young mothers, students, startup businessmen, members of youth civil and parliamentary groups. We thank all our people who supported Ivan Alexandrovich and voted for him. The youth of Penza and the region loves its Sura land and is ready to work for its sake! We will not leave! We will support the Penza region and our governor who is not afraid to believe in the youth, who supports innovation and can choose a worthy direction. Congratulations, Ivan Alexandrovich!” she concluded.

The speeches were followed by a performance of the stage singer Albert Ibraev and the children’s band “Domisolka” who performed a song titled “Penza, The City of Beautiful People.”

After the short performance, Ivan Belozertsev went into the audience from the stage, eagerly took part in photos with young people, and spent some time socializing with his supporters.