Election Power Struggle: Russian CEC Challenges Zaporizhzhia Governors Dismissal of Election Head

Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has charged the Kremlin-appointed leader of Ukraine’s partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region with exceeding his authority by dismissing the head of the local election commission.

On Thursday evening, Yevgeny Balitsky declared that he had removed Galina Katyushchenko from her position as chair of the Moscow-supported election commission for the Zaporizhzhia region, citing a “loss of trust” prompted by a report from his anti-corruption committee.

He stated on Telegram, «No official, no matter their rank, is above the law,» asserting that his actions were in line with Russian legal standards.

The CEC countered that the corruption claims against Katyushchenko were based on “minor technical inaccuracies” in her financial reports, which did not warrant her dismissal.

Ella Pamfilova, chair of the CEC, announced on Friday that her organization would request the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office to annul Balitsky’s decree, labeling it as “administratively and legally void.”

Pamfilova stressed that an election official can only be removed at the CEC’s request.

In a pointed remark, she accused Balitsky of secretly preparing the decree without consulting the commission, asserting that this action effectively disrupted the operations of an independent electoral body.

“This managerial error indicates either sheer arbitrariness—reminiscent of tactics from the neighboring country [Ukraine]—or profound legal ignorance from the governor and his team, making him the subject of public ridicule,” Pamfilova commented.

This conflict arises following months of strains between the CEC and Balitsky. During the summer, the CEC accused him of delaying payments to local election officials and attempting to evict the regional commission from its office.

On Thursday, the business newspaper Kommersant reported that Balitsky had proposed regional legislation that would give him the authority to dissolve the local election commission.

Pamfilova cautioned regional lawmakers in a written communication that such legislation would “disintegrate the region’s electoral system” and directly contradict federal law, which only allows courts or the CEC to dissolve such commissions, according to the report.

Balitsky refuted this claim in a Telegram message where he announced Katyushchenko’s dismissal.

Analysts told Kommersant that the ongoing standoff illustrates a continual power struggle over control of Russia’s electoral processes in the newly annexed territories.