The 2024 Zabaykalsky Krai gubernatorial election will take place on 6–8 September 2024, on common election day. Incumbent Governor Aleksandr Osipov was re-elected to a second term in office.
Background Aleksandr Osipov, former First Deputy Minister for the Development of the Far East and Arctic, was appointed acting Governor of Zabaykalsky Krai in October 2018. Osipov replaced retiring Governor Natalia Zhdanova, who resigned at her own request three years before the end of her first term. Zhdanova's resignation was mostly credited to low performance in socio-economic development, decreasing approval ratings and poor results of United Russia in the 2018 regional elections.
Legislative Assembly of Zabaykalsky Krai changed the electoral law in March 2019, allowing Independent candidates to run in the gubernatorial election. Osipov ran for a full term as an Independent and overwhelmingly won with 89.61% against three candidates from minor parties, as candidates from major opposition parties (CPRF, LDPR, A Just Russia) were absent from the ballot.
In April 2024 during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin Governor Osipov announced his intention to run for a second term and received Putin's endorsement.
Candidates In Zabaykalsky Krai candidates for Governor can be nominated by registered political parties or by self-nomination. Candidate for Governor of Zabaykalsky Krai should be a Russian citizen and at least 30 years old. Candidates for Governor should not have a foreign citizenship or residence permit. Each candidate in order to be registered is required to collect at least 8% of signatures of members and heads of municipalities. In addition, self-nominated candidates should collect 0.5% of signatures of Zabaykalsky Krai residents. Also gubernatorial candidates present 3 candidacies to the Federation Council and election winner later appoints one of the presented candidates.
Declared Candidate name,political partyOccupationStatusRef.Valery AfitsinskyThe Greens Former Member of Duma of Chita (2014–2019)RegisteredKonstantin KorostelyovCommunists of Russia Former Member of Legislative Assembly of Zabaykalsky Krai (2018–2023)RegisteredAleksandr OsipovIndependent incumbent Governor of Zabaykalsky Krai (2018–present)RegisteredGeorgy ShilinLiberal Democratic Party Member of Legislative Assembly of Zabaykalsky Krai (2013–present)RegisteredNatalya KocherginaIndependent Member of Civic Chamber of Zabaykalsky Krai (2016–present) Withdrew after registrationVyacheslav PalshinIndependent Youth center director Withdrew after registrationYury GrigorievSR–ZP Member of State Duma (2021–present)Failed to qualifyValentina PodoynitsynaIndependent Former Member of Chita Oblast Duma (2000–2008)Did not fileAndrey ShcherbakovIndependent BusinessmanDid not fileMaksim ShipitsynCommunist Party Former First Deputy Prosecutor of Zabaykalsky Krai (2009–2021)Did not file
Declined Yury Gayduk (CPRF), Member of Legislative Assembly of Zabaykalsky Krai (2018–present), 2019 gubernatorial candidate
Candidates for Federation Council Gubernatorial candidate,political partyCandidates for Federation CouncilStatusValery AfitsinskyThe Greens * Yelizaveta Baranova, financial director* Irina Barysheva, Chita Administration official* Sergey Kisloshchayev, sports instructorRegisteredKonstantin KorostelyovCommunists of Russia * Vladimir Ivanchenko (United Russia), Member of Legislative Assembly of Zabaykalsky Krai (2013–present)* Yekaterina Rakhmetulova, theatre deputy director* Daniil Tsypalov, railroad event plannerRegisteredAleksandr OsipovIndependent * Natalya Epova, Commissioner for Children's Rights of Zabaykalsky Krai (2023–present)* Eduard Shcherbina, mine worker* Bair Zhamsuyev (United Russia), incumbent Senator (2013–present)RegisteredGeorgy ShilinLiberal Democratic Party * Sergey Dyubin, military instructor* Vasilina Kuliyeva, Member of State Duma (2011–2012, 2016–2021, 2023–present)* Viktor Yefimov, Member of Legislative Assembly of Zabaykalsky Krai (2023–present), businessmanRegisteredNatalya KocherginaIndependent * Damdin Badmatsyrenov, Member of Civic Chamber of Zabaykalsky Krai* Andrey Cherepanov, educator* Aleksandr Potyayev, newspaper publisher Withdrew after registrationVyacheslav PalshinIndependent * Maria Korotich, nonprofit staffer* Vyacheslav Razdobreyev, youth work specialist* Yevgeny Shadrin, employers association executive director Withdrew after registrationYury GrigorievSR–ZP * Galina Abramova, Chairwoman of the Tungiro-Olyokminsky District Council (2016–present)* Alyona Gantimurova, Member of Duldurginsky District Council (2017–present), teacher* Nikolay Seleznev, former Member of Chitinsky District Council (2013–2023), former Head of Chitinsky District (2013–2018)Failed to qualify
Results
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" ! style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Candidate ! style="text-align:left;"| Party ! width="75"|Votes ! width="30"|% |- | style="background-color:"| | style="text-align:left;"| Aleksandr Osipov (incumbent) | style="text-align:left;"| Independent | | 82.27 |- | style="background-color:"| | style="text-align:left;"| Georgy Shilin | style="text-align:left;"| Liberal Democratic Party | | 7.44 |- | style="background-color:"| | style="text-align:left;"| Konstantin Korostelyov | style="text-align:left;"| Communists of Russia | | 4.68 |- | style="background-color:"| | style="text-align:left;"| Valery Afitsinsky | style="text-align:left;"| The Greens | | 3.21 |- | style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"| Valid votes | | 97.60 |- | style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"| Blank ballots | | 2.40 |- style="font-weight:bold" | style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"| Total | | 100.00 |- | style="background-color:#E9E9E9;" colspan="6"| |- | style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"| Turnout | | 43.91 |- | style="text-align:left;" colspan="3"| Registered voters | | 100.00 |- | colspan="5" style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"| |- style="font-weight:bold" | colspan="4" |Source:
Governor Osipov re-appointed incumbent Senator Bair Zhamsuyev (United Russia) to the Federation Council.
See also 2024 Russian regional elections
References