2021 Penza Oblast gubernatorial election
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17–19 September 2021
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| Turnout | 56.96% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2021 Penza Oblast gubernatorial election took place on 17–19 September 2021, on common election day, coinciding with election to the State Duma. Acting Governor Oleg Melnichenko was elected for his first term.[1]
Governor Ivan Belozertsev in 2020 won re-election to his second term with 78.72% of the vote.[2] On 21 March 2021, less than a year after the election, Governor Belozertsev was arrested, he was charged with accepting a ₽31 million ($0.4 million) bribe from former Senator from Penza Oblast (2003-2013) and pharmaceutical executive Boris Shpigel.[3] Simultaneously, Investigative Committee announced that they had found facts of electoral fraud during 2020 gubernatorial election.[4] On 26 March President Vladimir Putin fired Belozertsev for the "loss of trust" and appointed Senator Oleg Melnichenko as acting Governor of Penza Oblast.[5] Melnichenko previously served in the Government of Penza Oblast in 2007-2009 as Minister of Education and Science, Vice Governor and Deputy Head of Government, and as Deputy Presidential Envoy to the Volga Federal District (2013-2017).[6]