Tuleyev at a crossroads

The Governor of the Kemerovo region Aman Tuleyev, rumors about whose resignation arise with enviable regularity, while retaining his post - at least until the presidential election in March. It is reported by RBC with reference to sources close to the Kremlin.

The presidential administration, apparently, is not ready before the presidential campaign to violate the current balance of forces in such a large and complex region as Kuzbass.

To all the disadvantages of Tuleyev-he has an advanced age, he has been heading the region since 1997, he built an authoritarian political regime in the region-recently the poor health status of the 73-year-old governor has been added. In May in Germany, he had an operation on the spine and since then he was either absent in the region or was in hospitals. Finally, Tuleyev returned to Kuzbass on August 12, and went to work only on August 22, and he was brought to the administration building in a wheelchair.

So no one can exclude the option of the early resignation of Tuleyev due to the state of health. But if he retains a post, then, of course, he will be able to provide Vladimir Putin (or his successor, if he suddenly appears) almost any percentage of the presidential election. That is why the final decision on the future of Tuleyev will be made after March 2018. It is likely that Moscow, which has recently tries to carefully conduct a change in governors, will insist on an honorary pension - if Tuleyev, of course, agrees with this option.

Meeting V. Putin and A. Tuleeva / Kremlin.ru

However, not only the results of the federal elections depend on the governor of Kuzbass. The Kemerovo region is one of the richest regions of Western Siberia, if you do not take into account the Ugra and the Yamalo-Nenets district, then only the Novosibirsk region has a slightly larger RLD. In Kuzbass is the largest coal mine in Russia "Gorpadskaya", it belongs to the company Evraz Alexander Abramov, Alexander Frolov and Roman Abramovich. Also, large mines have Mechel, UMMC, Sueka and the Kuzbass fuel company. According to statistics reports, in the first 8 months of 2017, coal mining in the region increased by 7.6% compared to the same period last year.

In August, the first deputy head of the presidential administration Sergey Kiriyenko, in response to the question of the future of Tuleev, said that the replacement of the governor of Kuzbass was not planned. "Everything is fine. He had a difficult operation. Let's wish him to go through rehabilitation faster, ”he said.

At the same time, in the Kremlin, apparently, they still prepare a list of successors of Tuleyev. According to RBC, it includes the mayor of Nizhny Tagil Sergey Nosov and the governor of the Chelyabinsk region Boris Dubrovsky. It is believed that Nosov’s candidacy can lobby for the capital's authorities, because in the Sverdlovsk region he can compete with the close to Sobyanin Governor Evgeny Kuyvashev.

Sergey Nosov, mayor of Nizhny Tagil /ystav.com

Another candidate is the presidential adviser, responsible secretary of the organizing committee of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum Anton Kobyakov. He in 1999-2005. He worked as the deputy governor of the Kemerovo region, then the deputy general director of the United Coal Company "Yuzhkuzbassugol".

Kommersant previously wrote that another candidate may be considered a State Duma deputy from the Kemerovo region Dmitry Islamov.