Every second frame – Newspaper Kommersant No. 177 (7378) dated 09/26/2022

In the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, where elections of deputies of regional and city parliaments were held on September 9-11, the distribution of leadership positions is being completed. According to Kommersant’s calculations, in half of the cases the chairman of the body changes, while the proportion of “newcomer” speakers in legislative assemblies turns out to be higher than in city councils.

In most regional parliaments, whose membership was updated following the results of a single voting day, the first meetings have already been held, at which organizational issues are traditionally resolved: registration of factions, distribution of positions in committees and election of a chairman. Recall that new parliamentary convocations have been formed in the Parliament of North Ossetia, the State Council of Udmurtia, legislative assemblies of the Penza Region and the Krasnodar Territory, as well as in the Saratov and Sakhalin Regional Dumas. Everywhere “United Russia” (ER) received the majority of mandates.

On September 21, deputies of the Saratov Regional Duma elected the new chairman of the legislative body of the former mayor of Saratov, Mikhail Isaev (UR). Mr. Isaev ran in single-mandate constituency No. 4 against Nikolai Bondarenko, a “millionaire” blogger from the Communist Party, and promised to make every effort to keep the scandalous communist out of parliament. Already during the election campaign, he resigned as mayor. Even during the elections, Kommersant’s sources said that the former mayor was counting on the post of speaker. At the first meeting of the Duma, United Russia’s candidacy was supported by 33 deputies. For the only opponent of Mikhail Isaev, the leader of the Communist Party faction Alexander Anidalov, five voted.

On the same day, the chairman was elected in the legislature of the Penza region. Like their colleagues from Saratov, the Penza parliamentarians chose a “newcomer” – a deputy of the last four convocations, former vice speaker and head of the United Russia faction Vadim Supikov. According to Kommersant’s interlocutors, the decision was expected. Mr. Supikov was confirmed in office unanimously. On September 22, the former prime minister of the republic, Taimuraz Tuskaev (UR), was also unanimously elected as the new speaker of the North Ossetian parliament.

The intrigue persists in Sakhalin, where the acting chairman, the secretary of the regional department of the United Russia Andrei Khapochkin, passed to the new convocation of the regional duma. Sources of “Kommersant” in the regional authorities say that together with him, the former Minister of Social Protection and ex-mayor of Okha Elena Kasyanova, who is supported by Governor Valery Limarenko, is being considered for the post of speaker. The date of the first meeting of Parliament has not yet been set.

Of the remaining speakers – “oldies” the post will be retained by the chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnodar Territory, Yuri Burlachko (ER). United Russia has already put forward his candidacy for a vote, the first meeting of parliament will be held on September 28. According to Kommersant’s sources, Vladimir Nevostruev (ER), Speaker of the State Council of Udmurtia, will most likely remain in the same place. The deputies of the republic will gather for the first meeting on September 27.

But in the parliaments of the regional capitals, there will be much more remaining chairmen. So, on September 21, Omsk deputies almost unanimously reappointed Vladimir Korbut (ER) as speaker of the City Council. 37 people voted for his candidacy, one voted against, and another ballot was declared invalid. Mr. Korbut was the only contender for the post. Even greater unanimity was shown by the deputies of the Tver City Duma, where, following the results of the elections, all 25 mandates were received by representatives of United Russia. At the first meeting, they nominated the acting head of the body, Yevgeny Pichuev, as speaker and unanimously elected him.

According to Kommersant’s interlocutors, Andrei Brik, United Russia, will again become the speaker of the Vladivostok Duma. “His candidacy suits everyone,” a source in the regional government told Kommersant. Also, according to Kommersant, the post of head of Kirov (elected from among the deputies and leads the city duma) will be retained by Elena Kovaleva (ER). In Barnaul, Gorno-Altaisk and Kyzyl, the first meetings of the city parliaments will be held on September 28-29. It is still unknown who will lead them, but all the current speakers there – United Russia members Galina Buevich, Yuri Nechaev and Irina Kazantseva – were re-elected to new convocations.

Leadership changes have already taken place in Kursk (the new speaker is Vladimir Tokarev), Yaroslavl (Sergei Kalinin), and Pskov (Alexander Goncharenko). All new chairmen are United Russia members. Valery Deduk, the chieftain of the Batalpashinsky department of the Kuban Cossack army, will become the new speaker of the Cherkessk City Duma, his candidacy has already been approved by the regional political council of the United Russia. Finally, the City Duma of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky will definitely be led by a new speaker, since the former chairman Galina Monakhova was not elected to the new convocation. True, it is not yet known who will replace her in this post.

Andrey Prakh, correspondent network “Kommersant”