Federation Council approves direct governor elections in Russia

The Federation Council of Russia approved a bill on the return of direct governor elections today, Interfax reports.

The president will determine the need and order of consultations for each governor candidate, including independent governors.

A candidate needs 5-10% of legislatives supporting them in municipalities or municipal leaders with at least three quarters of municipal districts and city districts of a region.

Independent candidates need 0.5-2% of signatures of voters. Governor elections will be held in two rounds. The winner needs 50% + 1 vote.