Translated material
Player on the rise
Nikolai Fedorov, who is leaving the post of head of Chuvashia, may become the presidential envoy
The United Russia party has determined who it would like to see as leaders of two Russian regions - Karelia and Chuvashia. The list of candidates was presented yesterday to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for consideration.Among the contenders for the post of head of Karelia are Prime Minister of the Republic Pavel Chernov, State Duma deputy Viktor Kidyaev and acting president of the region Andrei Nelidov. At the same time, Mr. Chernov is a non-party member, however, in the words of the head of the Supreme Council of United Russia, Boris Gryzlov, “he is interesting as a candidate for this post.” One non-party member was included in the short list of contenders for the post of head of Chuvashia. This is the chief federal inspector for Chuvashia of the office of the Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Volga Federal District, Ruslan Tikhonov. True, unlike Mr. Chernov, he is officially a member of the organization of United Russia supporters, but does not have a party card. In addition to him, the list included Prime Minister of Chuvashia Nina Suslonova and her deputy, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic Mikhail Ignatiev.
Thus, a change of power awaits both of these regions, but the implemented scenarios will differ significantly. Let us recall that the ex-governor of Karelia Sergei Katanandov resigned of his own free will in early July, without waiting for the end of his powers, which expired in March 2011. At the same time, no one doubted Mr. Katanandov’s resignation: his rating in the republic was extremely low, and experts on regional politics had long given him low scores in the so-called political survival ratings of governors. We can say with a high degree of confidence that his path in big politics will end here.
On the contrary, the President of Chuvashia, Nikolai Fedorov, who still remained in office, was in good standing with the federal center. The reason for the resignation here was most likely the policy announced by Dmitry Medvedev to update the regional elites. Mr. Fedorov has headed the republic since 1994, and his fourth term in this position ended in August of this year. Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev previously spoke about four terms as the limit for the head of the region to remain in office. For these reasons, in particular, a change of power was carried out in Tatarstan, Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions. True, the leaders of these regions have already reached a very respectable age, while Nikolai Fedorov is only 52 years old - it’s time for his career to flourish. On the other hand, older and no less long-serving governors of the Tambov region Oleg Betin and Kemerovo region Aman Tuleyev were reappointed.
Like the ex-president of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev , Mr. Fedorov himself asked not to be included in the list of candidates for the post of head of the republic. However, it is already obvious that he can leave Chuvashia for a promotion. “Nikolai Vasilyevich Fedorov has experience not only of regional work as the head of the Chuvash Republic, but also experience of work at the federal level. At one time he headed the Ministry of Justice,” Vyacheslav Volodin, secretary of the presidium of the party’s general council, recalled yesterday. He promised that the party leadership would appeal to the country's president so that Mr. Fedorov "would be in demand for work at the federal level."
The first assumptions have already appeared regarding the future political fate of the President of Chuvashia. According to unconfirmed reports, he has been offered the post of presidential plenipotentiary representative in the Volga Federal District. The current plenipotentiary, Grigory Rapota, is already old, and his health leaves much to be desired. If this information is confirmed, Mr. Fedorov will become the second ex-governor promoted to plenipotentiary. The first to take this path was the former head of the Khabarovsk Territory, Viktor Ishaev, who now plays the role of the “sovereign eye” in the Far East.
“Fyodorov is a well-known and popular politician with extensive experience, and his age allows him to continue his career, so I think he will definitely find a place in the ranks,” Dmitry Orlov, president of the Agency for Political and Economic Communications, commented on the situation for Vremya Novostei. “At the same time, both his legal experience and the experience of managing the territory may be in demand.” The expert especially noted that the President of Chuvashia “does not need a sinecure,” so it is unlikely that he will suffer the fate of “heavyweight” governors who are going to experience the decline of their political career within the walls of the Federation Council. “Fedorov is the case when a person leaves due to a reasonable rotation of power, and not because his tenure as governor has been too long,” Dmitry Orlov emphasized.
“It is natural to talk about the future appointment of Nikolai Fedorov; his extensive experience will certainly be in demand at the federal level in executive authorities,” Oksana Goncharenko, an expert at the Center for Political Conjuncture, agrees with her colleague. She also notes that the change of power in Chuvashia is carried out “on the principle of continuity,” and Nina Suslonova and Mikhail Ignatiev have the greatest chances from the United Russia list. “Both of them can be considered representatives of Fedorov’s team,” emphasizes Ms. Goncharenko. “And this is correct, since the region suffered greatly from the crisis, in these conditions it would be logical to continue the course started by the previous leadership.”