The fall of 2017 will be remembered by the population of Russia by the mass dismissal of the governors of the largest regions of the country. Change of regional leaders is one of the plans of the government to ârejuvenateâ managers. Over the past 2-3 months, 10 heads of administrations have left their posts voluntarily or not very much. How many governors in Russia may still be out of work is unknown. As of October 14, 2017, 85 governors are working in the Russian Federation.
Essence of the question
The Governor is the head of a large administrative-territorial unit, the highest official. In Russia, Boris Nemtsov received his first such post in 1991, by decree of President Yeltsin he was appointed governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. It is difficult to say how many governors in Russia have changed during this time; until 2005, residents of a subject in a given region were appointed to the top managerial posts.
From 2005 to 2012, the appointment went "from above", that is, on the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation. Since 2012, free elections have returned in Russia, and new governors are now appointed by residents of this area. At his post, the head of the region cannot remain more than two terms.
Reasons for rotation
The problem of personnel in Russia has always existed. Continuity, familiarity, promotion of âour and oursâ for many years have been established among government officials, especially of high rank. Therefore, often the situation in the region remains invariably poor under different administrations.
There are too many elderly people who are experienced, but do not understand the current trends of the time. A few years ago, V.V. Putin and D.A. Medvedev expressed extensive plans for the gradual change of heads of administrative units. This idea touched on public posts of the lowest and highest rank. The change of personnel is one of the directions of the country's policy to rejuvenate and restore a strong administrative apparatus. In addition, the ruling United Russia party is trying to assert its power in different regions of the country with the help of strong managers.
Requirements for New Governors
According to Putin, the resignation of governors does not mean dissatisfaction with their work and the desire to put "their people." The goal of the government is to rely on a promising young generation of technocrats who are really interested in building a âbright futureâ for themselves in the first place. Moreover, when appointing, they tried to maintain a balance of personnel, leaving experienced specialists in the field who could help new people at first, to transfer their experience.
The main requirement for the new governors is anti-corruption, the bribery problem is one of the most significant in Russia, so candidates undergo a rigorous security check.
Applicants must know and be able to capture the trends of the new time, to embody them in the agricultural, educational and social spheres. Work really for the people and the country, and not for their own enrichment.
First resignations
The first resignation of governors occurred in September 2017, the head of the Samara region Nikolay Merkushin resigned. He was already 66 years old, he has held leading positions since the end of the 70s. But Merkushin did not remain without work; he was appointed president as the official representative for cooperation with the Finno-Ugric peoples.
The next head of the region, dismissed, was the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Later it became known that, at his request, Ramazan Abdulatipov, the head of the Republic of Dagestan, left his post . The initial version of the journalists was the assumption that layoffs are due to poor management and possibly low rates of victory for "United Russia" in the regions. But in the Samara and Nizhny Novgorod regions, the percentage of those who voted for the country's main party was more than 50, and in Dagestan - 80%. About how many governors in Russia everything has changed, it became known later, in one year more than 10 heads of regions left their posts. This is one of the largest personnel changes in the last ten years.
Tula
Tula Governor Vladimir Gruzdev resigned in February 2016. His departure was predicted for a long time, but such a sharp dismissal came as a surprise to both the head himself and his administration. The acting governor of the Tula region was appointed a native of the Ministry of Defense Alexei Dyumin. Journalists immediately associated his promotion with the name of Sergei Shoigu.
Despite the high confidence in the Tula governor from the simple population, Vladimir Gruzdev more than once fell into the ranking of âdouble-mindedâ managers of the country. And his precarious position on the spot was explained by the Kremlinâs discontent, Gruzdevâs too possessive position in his chair. He tried to pursue his policy, without looking back at Moscow.
About how many governors in Russia have resigned, it became known at the end of September 2017. However, according to the assurances of many well-known political scientists, this is not the end and dozens of regional heads may be worried about their posts.
Kaliningrad
At the end of 2016, the country's largest publications came out with the headline âPutin's Baltic castlingâ. It was about the transfer of the acting governor of the Kaliningrad region, Yevgeny Zinichev, and a young 30-year-old economist Anton Alikhanov was appointed to his post. Then, a few months before this, Nikolai Tsukanov, who became the Presidential Envoy in the Northwestern Federal District, resigned from the same post.
The post of governor of the Kaliningrad region has always been considered a special appointment. This area is a strategic economic and military target, which is probably why in just six months 3 heads of the region have been replaced. Moreover, Yevgeny Zinichev asked for the resignation himself, for family reasons. According to political scientists, the reason is different. From the very beginning, the appointment of a person from Putinâs guard was a mistake, and Zinichevâs weakness as a manager became clear already during the first months of work.
The new governor Alikhanov is an example of a modern, strong leader. In his 30 years, he already has rich experience in various fields. He has held senior management positions since 2010.
Permian
In February 2017, the governor of the Perm Territory Viktor Basargin asked to resign at his own request. Moreover, until the end of his term, only six months remained, the next elections are scheduled for September 2017. But, according to experts, a change in the command structure at this time is simply necessary, because the newly appointed person needs time to gain the support of the population and other representatives of the regionâs authorities.
Maxim Reshetnikov became the new governor of the Perm Territory; he was elected on September 10. The journalists managed to find out that it was Basargin who didnât develop relations with Reshetnikov for a long time, and it was the old governor who could not resist these elite confrontations. He was accused of poor control over his subordinates.
Journalists saw signs of the imminent departure of Basargin from office back in January, when the disgraced governor was not honored with a meeting with the president, which would symbolize Kremlin support. But no one called the resignation of a generally successful Basargin a failure, as they say, he left âbeautifullyâ and will certainly not remain without work. According to the media, he has friendly relations with Dmitry Medvedev.
Ekaterinburg
The fact that the governor of the Sverdlovsk region resigned became known on April 17, 2017. Evgeny Kuyvashev has been in his post since 2012 and during that time managed to fully earn the trust of the population and his own administration. There were no serious problems during the reign of Kuyvashev. However, journalists noted the high costs of public relations of the governor, and specifically sponsored the largest newspaper in the region, as well as local television.
Despite the resignation of his own free will, Putin appointed Kuyvashev and the next day. about the governor of the Sverdlovsk region, and on September 10 he was re-elected with the support of the population of 62%.
Volgograd
Among the population of the hero city, rumors have long been circulating about the imminent resignation of the head of the region, Andrei Bocharov. But, despite the defamatory company unfolding against him in the media, he firmly remains in his place. Journalists explain his confidence by close and trusting relations with Putin and the Kremlin in general.
Residents of the region have repeatedly appealed to the president with complaints against the governor of the Volgograd region during the Direct Line. Discontent is caused by the housing and social policies of the governor, and especially the cost savings in these areas. But this year, criticism of the head of the region remained behind the scenes and was not included in the official video.
Ivanovo
After Mikhail Me left for the Government as the head of the housing and communal services department, Pavel Konkov became the head of one of the poorest and most problematic regions. During his reign, the situation in the region catastrophically worsened. Along with one of the lowest salaries in Russia, the governor has reduced social spending in order to save. Payments to large families and the poor were cut, and fees for kindergarten increased.
Almost 60% of the regionâs population did not support either Konkovâs policy or his personality. Therefore, in October, Stanislav Voskresensky was appointed to the post of governor of Ivanovo.
A young and promising manager already had experience in senior positions. Prior to his appointment in Ivanovo, he worked as an assistant to the Minister of Economy of the Russian Federation.
Exceptions Moscow region
Heads of administrations do not always change due to old age; many heads of administrative units have not yet reached 50 years of age. It's not about age, but about the prospects of the manager himself. For example, Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov was only 47 years old, but rumors circulated that he should be removed from office all summer.
Andrei Vorobyov is one of Sergei Shoiguâs associates, originally from Krasnoyarsk. In recent months, criticism of him has increased more and more. Companies and citizens are receiving more complaints about problems in the construction industry. The construction of the Moscow Region is proceeding rapidly, the houses are located almost back to back, which is very worrying for ecologists. In addition, the number of deceived equity holders is growing, today hundreds of such criminal cases are already being considered in the courts.
The governor of the Moscow region is not very popular with ordinary citizens. A year ago, he promised to reduce the number of officials by 45%, but in fact, no one was fired. Vorobyov is very dependent on Moscow and the Moscow government, which does not allow him to show his own policy.
At the end of September, it became known that Vorobyevâs resignation would not be, he was called one of the most powerful managers in Russia, who could still do a lot at his post.
Future plans
Such a sharp change in the highest administrative apparatus in 2017 is connected with the plans of the Kremlin, according to which new governors should have time to prepare and set up the electorate of the region before the elections.
A spokesman for Vladimir Putin Peskov noted that such a practice is a regular and normal process of rejuvenating personnel, and perhaps the heads of regions who have already resigned are not the last in this series.
The opinions of journalists
The change of the administrative apparatus in Russia is a favorite topic of journalists. Kremlin officials explain the current situation with modern trends, the desire of the authorities to give way to young people and new fresh ideas.
Journalists came to the conclusion that a sharp change of power in the largest regions a year before the country's main elections is understandable only from the point of view of the interests of United Russia. The party wants to assert its position in a difficult period and avoid possible "rebellion", as previous elections have shown that not all of Russia supports Putinâs power.