Translated material
Mistress of Ugra
The number of female governors in Russia has doubled
Yesterday Natalya Komarova officially took office as governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra. She became the second woman to head a region in Russia after the Governor of St. Petersburg, Valentina Matvienko.In recent years, Ms. Komarova worked as chairman of the State Duma Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Management. She was called one of Gazprom's main lobbyists in the lower house of parliament. Before this, the future head of the region managed to work as the first deputy governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
The inauguration ceremony took place in the cultural and theatrical center of the regional capital “Ugra-Classic”. It was visited, in particular, by the Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Ural Federal District Nikolai Vinnichenko, as well as the heads of the regions included in the Ural Federal District; Kurgan governor Oleg Bogomolov, Sverdlovsk - Alexander Misharin, Yamal - Yuri Neelov, who will soon leave his post, Tyumen - Vladimir Yakushev. Ms. Komarova’s predecessor as governor of Ugra, Alexander Filippenko, who was very popular in the region and was even forced some time ago to urge his supporters not to protest against the replacement of the head of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, also took part in the ceremony.
When taking office as governor, Natalya Komarova, not without a bit of pathos, stated that in Ugra, as the country’s resource center, the rhythm of modernization would be “set” and “the speed of Russia’s innovative growth would be determined.” “Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sets global goals for the country - the transition to innovative technologies, deep modernization of not only all sectors of the economy, but also the management system, this is the key to success both for the whole of Russia and for Ugra in the foreseeable future. We have to update ourselves to meet these requirements,” the head of the region noted in her first address to the residents of the autonomy.
The newly appointed governor promised to “do everything to make Ugra the best place to live and work in the country.”
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent congratulations to Ms. Komarova, and the “former boss”, State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, described her as “a responsible and competent specialist, a true professional who will work for the benefit of the region.” The predecessor of the new governor, Alexander Filippenko, expressed confidence that “she will be able, due to her professionalism and extensive experience, to continue what she started and add dynamism to the development of Ugra and great Russia.”
“The fact that Komarova is the second female governor will play a big role in her image and her work. I think this might help her somewhat. And, from the point of view of attention to her work, and from an administrative-political point of view,” Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Social Systems Dmitry Badovsky told a Vremya Novostei correspondent. - At the very least, it will probably be more difficult for management to refuse her a meeting to discuss any issues. This will probably be an additional advantage. In my opinion, Valentina Matvienko quite actively and effectively used the fact that she is the first female governor. Both at the political level, and in terms of attracting investment to the region, and everything else.”
Leading expert of the Center for Political Conjuncture Oksana Goncharenko believes that Natalya Komarova has prospects of becoming an effective governor. “In general, the region has its own specifics, but there is nothing complicated there in terms of the economy now. Ms. Komarova’s main task will be to continue the effective implementation of those social programs for which Alexander Filippenko was known,” Oksana Goncharenko told a Vremya Novostei correspondent. - Its main problem will not even be economic, but political. She will have to establish herself as a political leader and establish relationships with local pressure groups. But she is very familiar with local business, so there probably shouldn’t be any problems.”
Aman Tuleyev was again nominated for governor
The United Russia party held consultations with the plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation for nominating a candidate for the post of governor of the Kemerovo region. The presidential side was represented at the meeting by First Deputy Head of the Kremlin Administration Vladislav Surkov.
Following the meeting, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Party, Speaker of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov said: “The main thing for the party is that the region is headed by an effective leader. We understand the full responsibility that the party bears in this matter. The final decision rests with the president.”
In accordance with current legislation, United Russia, as a party with a majority in the regional parliament, must propose at least three candidates to the head of state. The President has the right to disagree with these candidates or choose one of them.
As a result, among the three candidates that will be presented to the president for inclusion in the legislative assembly of the Kemerovo region, the name of the current head of the region, Aman Tuleyev, appears. "The United Russia party will submit proposals to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on candidates for the post of governor of the Kemerovo region. We will propose the following candidates: Valentin Mazikin - first deputy governor of the Kemerovo region, Sergei Neverov - State Duma deputy and Aman Tuleyev - current governor of the Kemerovo region ", said Boris Gryzlov.
65-year-old Aman Tuleyev (he will turn 66 on May 13), who ran for president of Russia three times and is regularly included in the list of the country's most popular politicians, has headed the Kemerovo region since 1997. His powers were last extended in 2005.