Features of the Formation of City Government Bodies in Tomsk Governorate under the Reform of 1892

The article investigates the key features of the formation of local self-government bodies (city councils, meetings of city commissioners, and city administrations) in Tomsk Governorate following the reform of 1892. In general, less than 1% of Siberian urban residents were granted the right to vote in local elections due to various kinds of qualifications. Only 20% of the voters took direct part in the elections. High property qualification deprived petty proprietor of access to public administration. A complex of difficulties was identified by the author in the conduct of elections and approval of their results: procedural errors, omissions and violations on the part of election organizers, participation in elections of persons in arrears and political exiles, complaints, denunciations and protests of voters against the election results, frequent cases of non-approval of officials by the governor, etc. In the composition of local self-government bodies, the so-called “trade” element prevailed in terms of the nature of occupations and merchants, bourgeois, and officials in terms of social estates. Merchants consolidated their participation in elections, nominated their candidates for key positions in municipal government, converted public service into benefits for their enterprises. The salaries of administration members in the cities were different; unified rates of salary were not applied. The level of remuneration of municipal officials was low, which was directly correlated with the financial capabilities of cities. While under the reform of 1870, city assemblies were formed on a wider electoral base, the law of 1892 significantly reduced the number of voters, thus turning local dumas into a privileged authority that represented the interests of the commercial and industrial circles of the region except for small towns.

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