According to regional news agencies, Presidential Envoy to the Volga Federal District Grigory Rapota sent the President a list of candidates for the post of head of the Republic of Bashkiria. There are three names on the list; the name of the current president of the republic, Murtaza Rakhimov, is not among them.

According to the Ufa Gubernskaya agency, the list was sent before the New Year holidays. Previously, the agency had a list of 12 names. During subsequent selection, it was reduced to three.

The candidates presented to the president are, in particular, the former first vice-president of NK LUKoil, now senator from the Altai Republic Ralif Safin , senator from Bashkiria Rudik Iskuzhin , as well as managing director and chairman of the board of directors of the investment company Troika-Dialog Andrey Sharonov , whom the agency considers Rakhimov's most likely replacement.

Earlier, the same agency reported that Rapota, on behalf of the Kremlin, suggested that Rakhimov write a letter of resignation “for health reasons.”

It is reported that Rakhimov agreed to this, asking only to delay the announcement of his resignation until February 2009, when he would celebrate his 75th birthday. Sources of Gazeta.Ru, however, were skeptical about this report, explaining that “political heavyweights like Rakhimov do not talk about their resignation with plenipotentiaries, but write such statements in the capital.” also called the report about Rakhimov’s resignation a “canard Chairman of the Duma Committee on Civil, Criminal, Arbitration and Procedural Legislation, deputy from Bashkiria Pavel Krasheninnikov .”

The presidential embassy in the Volga Federal District has not yet confirmed or denied reports that a list of candidates for the post of president of Bashkiria has been sent to the president. Earlier, the embassy made it clear to Gazeta.Ru that they consider information about candidates for the post of regional heads not to be made public.

Three replacements were found for Rakhimov