Penza, 28 September 2017. PenzaNews. The decision to rename Sovetskaya square Sobornaya was taken at the 37th regular session of the City Duma that was held on Thursday, September 28.

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The speaker on this issue was the deputy Alexei Shuvarin.

The deputy Alexander Trutnev, a member of the CPRF faction, asked what caused the initiative to rename the square.

Alexei Shuvarin explained that city residents had turned to him with such an initiative, he had supported it and had brought it up for discussion.

"In 2013 we conducted a poll and 65% of the respondents voted for renaming the square," he stressed.

In turn, the head of the Communist Party in the Penza City Duma Oleg Shalyapin doubted that renaming of Sovetskaya square was restoration of historical justice as previously it had been called Gorodskaya, Verkhnyaya, Paradnaya and Gubernatorskaya.

"It cannot be called historical justice. [...] Renaming is just another decision in favour of the Russian Orthodox Church," he stressed.

The communist added that tombs of Red Army soldiers and the monument to Revolution Fighters were located near the square.

"It is violation of memory of our ancestors. [...] Renaming is vandalism. [...] This fact only contributes to a split in society. [...] It is a spit in souls of our veterans who had lived most of their lives under the Soviet power," Oleg Shalyapin said.

In summing up, he proposed to withdraw the issue from discussion and to conduct a referendum.

"Let us ask the people instead of deciding the issue behind the scenes," the deputy noted.

In turn, the head of the United Russia faction in the City Duma Vladimir Mutovkiun presumed that changing the name of Soviet square could cause negative public resonance.

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"Perhaps we should rename it Primirenia square? Or Soglasia square?" he suggested.

At the same time, the deputy Andrei Fomin noted that the renaming was logical and corresponded to the purpose of the square.

The deputy Alexei Rogonov added that the issue was not important enough to hold a referendum and to spend time and money on it.

"We should leave aside the political overtones," he called.

The leader of the LDPR faction in the Penza City Duma Zhigansha Tuktarov saw no reasons not to rename the square.

As a result, 26 out of the 28 deputies present at the session voted for renaming Sovetskaya square Sobornaya and two deputies voted against it.