Shchadey: mayoral election was not appointed because the former mayor of the city

As Uzhgorod.in previously reported, the Parliament did not appoint the election of Uzhgorod mayor on May 25. This means that the temporary authority will remain in the city for much longer than anticipated. We asked the Acting Mayor of Uzhgorod Victor Shchadey about the reasons for that and how the authorities would behave in a new situation.

"Unfortunately, the Parliament did not consider the issue of holding mayoral elections in the city of Uzhgorod on May 25, that we asked for, – Victor Ivanovich said. – We have consulted lawyers on this matter, talked with representatives of the relevant parliamentary committee. The reason for failure to appoint the election is the lawsuit of the previous Mayor who believes that he was removed from his duties illegitimately.

Under the law, he has 6 months to defend his rights in court. For this reason, the Verkhovna Rada could not appoint the election and the matter is postponed to autumn, or perhaps even to the beginning of December.

For us, this means that instead of three months, we will have to work in the current format for 8-9 months, so we have to bear much greater responsibility. Three months is a relatively short period during which we could have just maintained the city.

But, for a period of 8 months, we have to develop strategic plans. Currently, we are working on an action plan to not just keep the city from collapse, but also to provide positive moments in different areas. This plan will be made public later when it’s ready."