The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Russia has accused the head appointed by the Kremlin in Ukraine’s partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region of exceeding his authority by dismissing the local election commission chair.
Yevgeny Balitsky stated late Thursday that he had removed Galina Katyushchenko from her position leading the Moscow-backed election commission in Zaporizhzhia, citing a “loss of trust” following findings from his anti-corruption committee.
He emphasized on Telegram that “no official, irrespective of their title, is above the law,” insisting that his decision was in line with Russian legislation.
The CEC argued that the allegations of corruption were based on “insignificant technical mistakes” in Katyushchenko’s financial reports, which they claimed did not justify her removal.
Ella Pamfilova, head of the CEC, announced on Friday that her office would request the Russian Prosecutor General to annul Balitsky’s decree, labeling it “administratively and legally void.”
Pamfilova asserted that only the CEC has the authority to dismiss an election official.
In a pointed remark, she accused Balitsky of “secretly drafting” the dismissal decree without informing the commission, claiming the action undermined the functioning of an independent electoral authority.
“This administrative error implies either clear arbitrariness — a remnant of practices from the neighboring country [Ukraine] — or significant legal ignorance from the governor and his team, making him a source of ridicule,” Pamfilova expressed.
This conflict comes after months of tension between Balitsky and the CEC. Over the summer, he faced allegations of withholding salaries from local election officials and attempting to force the regional election commission out of its office.
On Thursday, the business newspaper Kommersant reported that Balitsky had proposed a draft regional law that would give him the authority to disband the local election commission.
Pamfilova cautioned regional legislators in a written warning that such a law would “upend the region’s electoral framework” and contradict federal law, which only permits courts or the CEC to dissolve commissions, as stated in the publication.
Balitsky refuted the report in a Telegram post announcing Katyushchenko’s dismissal.
Analysts told Kommersant that this standoff highlights an ongoing struggle for dominance over Russia’s electoral framework in newly annexed regions.
