2016 Tula Oblast gubernatorial election

Until 2012, the governor of Tula Oblast was not elected, but was appointed by the president of Russia, with the approval of the Tula Oblast Duma. Direct elections were introduced in 2012.

In August 2011, Vladimir Gruzdev became governor. His term expired in August 2016 and he could be elected for a second term; however, Gruzdev resigned from office in February 2016, and Alexey Dyumin became the acting governor until election.

Candidates could be nominated by political parties or by self-nomination. To participate in the elections, candidates from the parties had to collect signatures of 7% of municipal deputies and heads of municipalities. Independent candidates, in addition to the municipal filter, still had to collect 2% of the signatures of residents of the region (about 25,000 signatures).[1]

The acting governor, Alexey Dyumin, decided to run for governor as independent candidate, but he was supported by United Russia and Liberal Democratic Party. At the same time, Tula Oblast became the only region in 2016 where the United Russia did not hold a primaries for the selection of a candidate for governor from the party.[2]

According to the law, each candidate had to nominate three candidates for Federation Council, one of whom was to be appointed senator in case of the candidate's victory.[3]

A total of four candidates were registered.

Candidate			Party	Office	Nominees to the Federation Council
		Oleg Veselov	Communists of Russia	Employee of the branch of Federal State Budgetary Institution "Branch of Cadastral Chamber of Rosreestr" in Tula Oblast	Irina Matyzhenkova Alexander Pinayev Vadim Solovyov
		Alexey Dyumin	Independent (supported by United Russia and Liberal Democratic Party)	Incumbent Acting Governor	Nikolay Vorobyov Mikhail Gryazev Dmitry Savelyev
		Oleg Lebedev	Communist Party	Member of the State Duma	Nadejda Gribanova Andrey Kozelsky Tatyana Kosaryova
		Nikolay Ogoltsov	Party of Pensioners	Chief of department of corporate protection of JSC "Gazprom gazoraspredelenie Tula"	Dmitry Goltyakov Olesya Kurbatova Alexander Pustovoy

Alexey Dyumin was elected governor in the first round. After the election, Dyumin appointed Dmitry Savelyev as senator.[4]

• 2016 Russian gubernatorial elections