Vladimir Putin appointed Oleg Kozhemyako as acting governor of the Primorsky Territory. This happened after the election of the head of the region was declared invalid due to a scandal involving massive fraud. Kozhemyako became the first regional leader to head the fourth region in a row. Before Primorye, he was the governor of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug, the Amur Region and Sakhalin. In the previous three cases, the president first appointed Kozhemyako as acting, and after that he won the election. Immediately after his appointment as acting governor of Primorye, he answered Vedomosti’s questions by phone.

– Is the idea to take part in the elections for the governor of Primorye really yours or the presidential administration’s?

– These are the proposals that came from me. I coordinated them with the president of the country, because I am the current governor and do not have the right to declare myself without the consent of the country’s leadership.

– So this is your initiative?

“I said everything clearly at the meeting with the president. I know the Primorsky Territory, I worked there and I cannot be indifferent to what is happening there. I understand the potential of the region, I understand the needs and expectations of people. That’s why I wanted to participate in the gubernatorial elections. This is agreed upon by the president, and I agreed upon it.

– How do you assess the political situation in Primorye?

– The population voted the way they voted. Here you just need to work with the population.

– What do you think the residents of Primorye expect from the authorities?

– Expectations of change for the better. Expectations to use the potential that the region has. Expectations for life to be more comfortable and comfortable. So that social aspects are resolved.

– You are the first governor to lead the fourth region. Do you see yourself as an anti-crisis manager?

– In each region you gain experience, each region has its own specifics. But we are all Far Easterners, we all know each other. Somewhere we studied together at institutes, somewhere some of us have relatives living with us. It always helps.

I was born and raised in Primorye. I studied and worked there. My grandfathers came to the Amur land. The Far East is clear, familiar, and clear to me. I have been in Primorye for a long time, most of my life has been spent there. In particular, his political career began from there (in 2004-2006, Kozhemyako was a representative of the Primorsky Territory in the Federation Council. - Vedomosti). For me this question is important and pressing. I am going to the region in order to meet the expectations of the residents and try to make Primorye a dynamically developing region, because its potential is enormous. There is a large population there, there is an economy and agriculture, and access to the markets of the Asia-Pacific region. You just have to work.

– But do you see yourself as an anti-crisis manager?

- Well, it’s not for me to evaluate myself.

– You are thrown into difficult areas all the time. Obviously, this is not just like that.

– We will work with the support of the federal center and, of course, relying on the wishes of residents to make their lives better. It is most important. We will work harder to justify the trust of the population and the country's leadership. This is not an easy task, but we are ready for it.

– What will happen to Sakhalin?

– The region is in complete order. The budget is good, the programs are laid out. Everything is fine.

– Who will you advise instead of yourself?

– Special structures and bodies will make decisions about elections. How can I advise? The population will still vote.

Valery Sharifulin/TASS Vedomosti presents a ranking of governors' incomes based on their statements... Evgeniy Razumny / Vedomosti The income of Chelyabinsk Region Governor Boris Dubrovsky last year was... Evgeniy Razumny / Vedomosti Governor of the Moscow Region Andrey Vorobyov earned 53.13 last year million rubles... Egor Aleev/TASS Governor of the Tomsk Region Sergei Zhvachkin earned 43.64 mln last year... Donat Sorokin/TASS Head of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Vyacheslav Bitarov declared his income... Sergei Porter / Vedomosti Governor of the Udmurt Republic Alexander Brechalov earned 34.00 in 2017... Evgeniy Razumny / Vedomosti Head of the Sakhalin Region Oleg Kozhemyako, whose income amounted to 25.24 million... Alexander Mamaev / URA.RU/TASS Governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region Dmitry Kobylkin in 2017 salary... Maxim Stulov / Vedomosti The head of the Khabarovsk Territory, Vyacheslav Shport, declared an income of 16.52 million rubles... Anton Balashov/TASS Governor of the Primorsky Territory Andrei Tarasenko earned 16.14 million last year...

New Acting Governor of Primorye: “I cannot be indifferent to what is happening in the region”