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For the first time in post-Soviet history, the mayor of a Russian city is being sued for allegedly breaking the law.

The krai-level Supreme Court case against Vladivostok Mayor Victor Cherepkov has been set for Sept. 4. The plaintiff, the Krai Duma, says Cherepkov broke the law several times since he has been in office.

There is no federal law pertaining to the punishment of local elected officials, which leaves regional legislatures to create their own.

In Primorsky Krai, the only body authorized to remove a mayor is the Krai Duma, said the head legal advisor to the duma, Vladimir Sokolov. And the duma can oust the mayor only if the krai's Supreme Court finds that the city administrator has broken the law.

The mayor's press center said Cherepkov would have no comment on the case.

Neither the governor nor the courts can force the mayor to leave office.

Cherepkov has twice failed to show up for discussions about his case, and he was also absent on the first court date, Aug. 5. If Cherepkov does not appear Sept. 4, the case can be decided in his absence, Sokolov says.

The krai alleges the mayor's most egregious violation of the constitution was his repetitive canceling of city duma elections. The law guarantees the right to elect and to be elected.

Cherepkov's controversial redistricting attempt was also illegal, the suit states. The krai court declared his abolition of Vladivostok?s five-district system invalid, but the mayor has continued to operate the city according to his vision.

Cherepkov has also failed to approve a city code, essential for the legal management of Vladivostok, the krai states.

"There is nothing democratic about Cherepkov, except for the fact that he was elected," said Sokolov. And Cherepkov has broken the law by not providing for the needs of city residents, Sokolov said. His slow action on the trash strike, his refusal to pay doctors and teachers months of back wages and his bickering with city housing maintenance unions has resulted in negligence to tax payers, said Sokolov.