Governor of Saint Petersburg Poltavchenko served as Governor of St. Petersburg from 31 August 2011 to 3 October 2018.
Dmitry Medvedev and Georgy Poltavchenko, 30 August 2011 On 22 August 2011, Georgy Poltavchenko was appointed acting governor of St. Petersburg. On 27 August 2011, the
United Russia party supported Poltavchenko's candidacy for the post of governor of St. Petersburg. On 30 August,
President Dmitry Medvedev approved Poltavchenko's candidacy as governor of St. Petersburg. On 31 August 2011, the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg was endowed with the powers of the governor of St. Petersburg. 37 deputies supported his candidacy, while five abstained from voting, and none voted against it. On the same day, he took office as governor of St. Petersburg. He retained his membership in the Security Council in his new position. From 28 July 2012 to 22 February 2013, Poltavchenko was a Member of the Presidium of the
State Council of the Russian Federation. In the early elections of the governor of St. Petersburg in 2014, Poltavchenko won 79.3% of the vote and retained his position. Poltavchenko used the Strategy for the Economic and Social Development of St. Petersburg until 2030, adopted in May 2014, as his election program. At the same time, critics noted that the elections were virtually uncontested since the leading opposition candidate,
Oksana Dmitriyeva, a representative of the
A Just Russia party, could not overcome the
municipal filter. In this regard, the A Just Russia and
Yabloko parties announced their non-recognition of the election results and the legitimacy of the elected governor. In June 2016, Poltavchenko signed a decree on the erection of the
Akhmad Kadyrov Bridge in St. Petersburg. In December 2016, Poltavchenko transferred
St. Isaac's Cathedral to the
Russian Orthodox Church. Currently, the transfer process of the cathedral is frozen. During Poltavchenko's term in St. Petersburg, five stations of the St. Petersburg metro were opened, and the city's highest number of churches in recent history was built. One of the main reforms for which the citizens of St. Petersburg are grateful to Poltavchenko is the rejection of reagents on the roads in the winter. The streets of the northern capital were no longer sprinkled with salt, which allowed the city to maintain its grand appearance and remain snow-white throughout the winter. The reagents were replaced by granite chips: they do not corrode shoes and are much cheaper for the city. Petersburgers note that winter in the city has become much brighter and more elegant. In 2021, the reagents returned to the city streets due to an abnormally snowy winter. Poltavchenko solved the issue of heating supply, which warmed the houses of St. Petersburg. According to the old regulations, waiting until the air temperature rose above 8°C for five days was necessary. Now, heating is supplied to houses according to the weather. == Controversy ==