The top contender for replacement is Kirov Region Governor Nikolai Shaklein.
Photo: Pavel Smertin
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List of Governors at Risk Drawn Up
About ten heads of Russian regions may be replaced soon, according to the new Rating of Governors’ Political Survival. Besides governors whose terms are near completion, those who have been involved in public scandals and those who failed to establish good relations with federal powers are endangered. The rating is the third to be compiled by the Petersburg Policy Fund. It is based on a poll of experts on Russian regional politics. They gave the governors points ranging from 1 to 5.
The top contender for replacement in the rating is Kirov Region Governor Nikolai Shaklein, whose term ends in January 2009. It is known that a replacement for him has been sought for a long time.
Seven governors are in the second group. They are Sergey Darkin of Maritime Territory, Alexey Lebed of Khakasia, Nikolay Vinogradov of Vladimir Region, Nikolay Maksyuta of Volgograd Region, Murat Zyazikov of Ingushetia, Egor Stroev of Orel Region and Sergey Katanandov of Karelia. Darkin is considered the most endangered of them, having problems with law enforcement and bad relations with the district presidential representative.
There are 20 governors in the third group, most prominent of whom is Bashkortostan leader Murtaza Rakhimov. Moscow Region Governor Boris Gromov and Nenets head Valery Potapenko may lose their jobs when their regions are merged out of existence. The survey notes that they have other black marks against them as well.
Sources close to the presidential administration say that the replacement of 30-40 percent of regional heads is in the works.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 29, 2008
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