Russian Mayor Loses to His Driver’s Wife
Yevgeny Pistsov ran for a fourth term as mayor of Berezovsky, a small city near Yekaterinburg in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region. Many expected him to win, especially since his only opponent, Yulia Maslakova, was his subordinate and a member of the same political party—United Russia, the party of President Vladimir Putin. On top of that, Yulia is the wife of Yevgeny’s personal driver.
The election took place on February 3, 2025. Even Yulia admitted in an interview that she only ran to give Yevgeny some competition and never thought she would win. However, in a surprising turn of events, she defeated him.
Despite her victory, Yulia is now trying to avoid taking office, as she was not prepared for the results. In Berezovsky, like in other Russian cities, mayors are not directly elected by the public. Instead, they are chosen by local officials, called deputies, based on recommendations from a selection committee. These deputies represent different local and regional authorities.
In 2025, the deputies requested more candidates to choose from, but the committee only nominated two—Yevgeny and Yulia. Although Yulia is the wife of Yevgeny’s driver, she also held an official position as the head of Berezovsky’s investment development department. Out of 23 deputies, 17 voted for Yulia, while only six supported Yevgeny. Experts believe this was the deputies’ way of getting back at Yevgeny for blocking their preferred candidate from running.
Yulia was the most shocked by the results and even tried to withdraw, but she was told it was too late. She now has two weeks to prepare for her oath-taking, but reports suggest she does not want to take office due to the political tension surrounding her unexpected win.
If Yulia refuses to accept the position within the 15-day deadline, a new election will be held, and deputies will select new candidates. Political analysts believe Yevgeny will not run again, as losing to his driver’s wife was seen as a major embarrassment.
Some speculate that Yulia is hesitant because, as mayor, her personal driver would be her own husband—since that role is automatically assigned to the city’s mayor. However, there is still a chance she might change her mind and take on the role before the deadline.