The leader of the Regions Party faction in the parliament, Oleksandr Yefremov, has said that Kyiv mayor could be elected before the parliamentary elections in October 2012.
"It’s possible that the election of Kyiv mayor will be held before the parliamentary elections," Yefremov said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2012.
He noted that the last elections for the capital’s mayor and deputies of Kyiv City Council were held in 2008.
"The deputies were elected for five years under the previous legislation, and the mayor [was elected] for four years, so this year the mayor’s term expires and the Verkhovna Rada will have to decide on the issue of Kyiv mayoral elections this year," Yefremov said.
While speaking about the date of the election of the capital’s mayor, the MP said that there are two viewpoints on the issue: According to the first, this election should be united with the parliamentary elections, and to the second, the mayoral and the parliamentary elections should be held separately.
"The second point of view is likely to prevail," Yefremov said.
The leader of the faction also said that the Regions Party would nominate its candidate for the position of the capital’s mayor.
"Of course the Regions Party will select its own candidate for the election," Yefremov said.
He said [Head of Kyiv City State Administration] Oleksandr Popov, "who was delegated to Kyiv by the Regions Party, has shown that he is a good leader."
