A Russian mayor’s re-election scheme backfired when his dummy opponent won the race. Then she sued.

A court in the Russian town of Berezovsky has overturned the results of a mayoral election in which the incumbent tried to secure his own victory by making his driver’s wife his only opponent — only for her to win. But the unexpected winner, local government official Yulia Maslakova, refused to take office, skipped her inauguration, and sued the city council for electing her against her will. Meduza explains how an accidental mayor challenged her own election.

Berezovsky, a satellite town of Yekaterinburg with a population of about 75,000, had been led since 2011 by United Russia member Yevgeny Pistsov. In 2015, the town became one of the first in Russia to abolish direct mayoral elections, shifting to a system where the mayor is selected by the city council from candidates shortlisted by a selection commission.

In the fall of 2024, Pistsov’s third term ended, and he sought re-election for a fourth. While he had the backing of Sverdlovsk Governor Yevgeny Kuyvashev, many city council members opposed him. Media reports linked this opposition to Pistsov’s feud with Vyacheslav Brozovsky, a powerful local businessman and former Berezovsky mayor who later became a regional legislator and one of the wealthiest members of the Sverdlovsk legislative assembly.

The standoff between Pistsov and the city council delayed the election, originally set for September 2024, until January 2025. Ten candidates entered the race, including Pistsov, City Council Speaker Alexey Gorevoy — reportedly his main rival — and Yulia Maslakova, a local government official and the wife of Pistsov’s personal driver. The selection commission, which is evenly split between the governor’s appointees and city council representatives, approved only two candidates: Pistsov and Maslakova.

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In response, the city council staged a protest vote. On January 30, they elected Maslakova, who had spent eight years leading the city administration’s investment development department. She received 17 votes, while Pistsov got just six. Before the vote, Maslakova tried to withdraw her candidacy but was told that once the selection commission had finalized its shortlist, candidates could no longer drop out.

Maslakova refused to take office, saying she would not work in a “conflict-ridden environment,” Kommersant reported, citing a source in the Sverdlovsk regional government. She skipped her inauguration in mid-February and sued the city council for electing her against her will. Former mayoral candidate Andrey Yelantsev called it “the first case in Russia where a winning candidate is challenging their own election.”

On March 19, the Berezovsky City Court ruled in Maslakova’s favor, annulling the election. Her lawyer argued that winning had placed an undue burden on her, bringing “negative consequences in the form of additional responsibilities.” Maslakova never appeared in court. She continues to work in the city administration, as does her husband. Meanwhile, Pistsov will remain in office as acting mayor until a new election is held.