Sergei Morozov took office as governor

inauguration

On Saturday, the inauguration of Governor Sergei Morozov took place in the Great Hall of the Ulyanovsk Regional Administration. Alexander Konovalov, the presidential envoy to the Volga Federal District, who arrived at the ceremony and who had previously had a hand in Mr. Morozov’s early appeal to Vladimir Putin with a question of trust, presented the head of the region with a treasure sword, wishing to continue working for the benefit of Ulyanovsk residents “with his characteristic self-denial.”

Preparations for the inauguration in Ulyanovsk began a week in advance: rehearsals, accompanied by a symphony orchestra, took place twice a day. True, they did not block the streets on Saturday, which is probably why the plenipotentiary was 20 minutes late. Together with him, a member of the Federation Council from the Ulyanovsk region, Rustem Shiyanov, and the chairman of the legislative assembly (LA) of the region, Boris Zotov, entered the hall.

The ceremony began with a viewing of a half-hour film about the main achievements of Governor Morozov and his government over the past year. It followed from the film that industry growth during the reporting period was 6.8%, wages increased by 22.2%, and very soon the Ulyanovsk region will become one of the leading regions of Russia. Then Speaker Zotov, who rose to the podium, read out the resolution of the Legislative Assembly dated March 28, 2006, conferring gubernatorial powers on Sergei Morozov. And only after that the hero of the occasion himself walked onto the stage from the other end of the hall.

Sergei Morozov was born in 1959 in Ulyanovsk. Since 1981, he served in the internal affairs bodies, rising in 1995 to the rank of chief of the Internal Affairs Directorate of Dimitrovgrad (Ulyanovsk region). In December 2000, he was elected head of Dimitrovgrad, and in December 2004, governor of the Ulyanovsk region. On March 13, 2006, he raised the issue of trust before the president ahead of schedule. On March 20, Vladimir Putin nominated Sergei Morozov to the regional legislature, which was approved by deputies on March 28.

The first to congratulate the governor was Alexander Konovalov, who, according to Kommersant's information, personally persuaded Mr. Morozov to raise the issue of trust with the president ahead of schedule. The plenipotentiary read out a congratulation from Mr. Putin, who expressed the hope that Sergei Morozov will finally restore order in the region. On his own behalf, Mr. Konovalov expressed the hope that the re-appointed governor will work for the benefit of Ulyanovsk residents “with his characteristic self-denial.” “Besides, Morozov has already achieved good success over the past year,” the plenipotentiary recalled. As a gift, he presented the governor with the coat of arms of Russia, the historical book “Russia is a Great Destiny” and, as he put it, “a treasure sword - a symbol of power.” There was a murmur throughout the hall: the guests were talking about how “giving piercing or cutting objects as a gift will lead to a quarrel.” Nevertheless, Sergei Morozov kissed the donated weapon.

Senator Shiyanov limited himself to conveying congratulations from the Chairman of the Federation Council Sergei Mironov, without adding anything on his own. State Duma deputy from the LDPR Yuri Kogan gave a lengthy speech about some birthday, at which Vladimir Zhirinovsky reconciled him and the governor, and presented a book with a dedication to the latter. The leader of the LDPR wrote that he “will definitely drink a glass of noble drink to Sergei Ivanovich,” and “conveyed his hugs through Kogan.” Mr. Kogan fulfilled the boss’s order and energetically hugged Mr. Morozov. The mayor of Ulyanovsk, Sergei Ermakov, who was sitting in the front row with an offended face, was not given a word: a source in the administration explained to Kommersant that the mayor had recently fallen out of favor with the governor and “a taboo has been placed on his public speeches.”

In his response, Sergei Morozov swore his love for the Ulyanovsk people and said that the main priority today is to attract investors to the region. “First of all, I rely on large Russian and Western companies with a well-promoted brand,” he explained.

IRINA Kommersant-PETROVA, Ulyanovsk

The plenipotentiary came to Ulyanovsk with a sword