Altai Governor Alexander Karlin on Friday fired the mayor of the region's capital, Barnaul, for "systematically failing to fulfill his duties," the regional administration said in a statement on its web site.
Karlin accused Mayor Vladimir Kolganov of ignoring 12 court decisions related to communal issues like waste disposal and water quality.
Kolganov said he would challenge his dismissal in court. "The correctness of the governor's decision will be determined by the judiciary," he said in a statement on his web site.
Also Friday, Kolganov tendered his resignation to the city legislature, but the deputies refused to accept it, he said.
Regional bosses can fire mayors more easily under a law introduced by President Dmitry Medvedev last year. Mayors are the most senior regional officials who are directly elected. They are often locked in political conflict with governors, who have been appointed by the president since direct gubernatorial elections were abolished in 2004.
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