The new charter replaces one in force since 2004, the regional legislature's press service said. Under the change, city deputies select the mayor from candidates put forward by the governor of the Khabarovsk region.
Duma speaker Andrei Beloglazov framed the decision through a historical parallel, saying that exactly 123 years ago Khabarovsk residents lived under a similar charter, when city assembly members elected the head of the city.
The press service said the new charter retains public hearings and participatory budgeting mechanisms. It also formalizes voluntary participation by residents in socially significant works and, according to the press service, sets out the financial cycle in detail, from the formation of the treasury to control over spending. The amendments passed public hearings with residents' participation, the press service said.
The changes stem from the federal law "On the general principles of organizing local self-government within the unified system of public authority," adopted in March 2025. Article 88 of the law provides that the head of a municipality that includes a settlement serving as the administrative center of a Russian region is elected by a representative body from among candidates nominated by the region's top official. The law thus rules out direct elections for administrative centers.
Denis Mitrofanov is currently acting mayor of Khabarovsk. He was appointed interim city head in September, replacing Sergei Kravchuk, who was elected to the State Duma.
After Kravchuk's departure, only two cities that are administrative centers of Russian regions are still run by popularly elected mayors: Abakan, the capital of Khakassia (Alexei Lyomin, elected in December 2019), and Anadyr, the capital of Chukotka (Sergei Spitsyn, elected in September 2024).