The Supreme Council of Khakassia again delegated Alexander Zhukov to senators

The Supreme Council (SC) of Khakassia on Wednesday elected United Russia member Alexander Zhukov, who has held this post since February 2019, as its representative in the Federation Council. Previously, local media did not rule out that long-time Speaker of the Supreme Court Vladimir Shtygashev, who on the eve of the autumn elections moved from United Russia to the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, could become a senator. Speaking to the deputies, Mr. Zhukov declared his readiness to cooperate for the benefit of the region with Oleg Zemtsov, the head of the republic, communist Valentin Konovalov, appointed to the Federation Council.

The Supreme Council of Khakassia became the penultimate regional parliament to decide on its representative in the Federation Council based on the results of the September elections (the Assembly of Deputies of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug should decide this issue next week). The election of a senator in the republic effectively completed the distribution of leadership positions after a large-scale and competitive election campaign. As a result, Valentin Konovalov (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) became the head of Khakassia for the second time, and United Russia (UR) received a qualified majority in the Armed Forces. The communist’s main competitor, State Duma deputy from United Russia Sergei Sokol, a week before the vote, withdrew from the elections for the head of the region due to illness, but as the leader of the United Russia party list in the parliamentary elections, he was elected speaker of the Supreme Council.

Before this, the parliament was continuously led for more than 30 years by Vladimir Shtygashev, who remained in this post even after United Russia lost its majority in the Supreme Council in 2018. Before the 2023 elections, the 83-year-old veteran of Khakassian politics left United Russia and took second place on the party list of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in the parliamentary elections. After the confident victory of United Russia (the party received 34 seats out of 50 in the Supreme Council, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation – 14, the Liberal Democratic Party – two), a group of members of the presidium of the Council of Elders of the Khakass people called on the deputies to re-elect a representative of the indigenous nationality as speaker in order to preserve “interethnic harmony”. This wish was not fulfilled, but the chairman of the Council of Elders, Peter Voronin, was promoted to the post of vice-speaker of United Russia.

Although the election struggle in Khakassia was very intense, the election of a senator from the Supreme Soviet passed quite calmly. United Russia proposed re-electing Alexander Zhukov to this post, and he remained the only candidate nominated. Let us note that his election as a senator in February 2019 was the result of an inter-party compromise, since neither the United Russia nor the Communist Party of the Russian Federation had the necessary majority for this.

Meanwhile, in mid-September, Mr. Zhukov was appointed head of the United Russia faction in the Khakass parliament. The regional branch of the party did not comment on this personnel decision, and local media in this regard did not rule out that Vladimir Shtygashev could receive the seat of senator from the Supreme Council. At the same time, Supreme Council deputy Mikhail Molchanov (LDPR) told Kommersant that he is not aware that any other candidates other than Alexander Zhukov were discussed for the post of member of the Federation Council. And political scientist Sergei Komaritsyn believes that the reappointment of United Russia took place within the framework of a package agreement on the distribution of power in Khakassia, drawn up “at the Moscow level.”

Mr. Zhukov himself, in his speeches in the Supreme Court on October 11, neither before his election as a senator nor after summing up the voting results, never mentioned his party, but in every possible way emphasized the need for “team work” in the interests of the region. “We have already discussed this approach with our colleague, senator from the republican government Oleg Zemtsov (he was elected to the Supreme Court on the party list of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, but refused the mandate.— “Kommersant”). Oleg Alexandrovich is an energetic person and a highly qualified lawyer. It’s great that we have a mutual understanding that Khakassia is in dire need of projects to develop, support and preserve its unique territory, unlike anything else in terms of power, strength and beauty,” said, in particular, Alexander Zhukov.

True, during the session, deputy Oleg Ivanov (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) proposed postponing the senatorial elections so that the competent authorities would first understand the activities of Abaza Mine LLC, which was headed by Alexander Zhukov in 2016–2019. The communist even asked to consider his speech as an appeal to law enforcement agencies. But, as the head of the Communist Party faction Valery Starostin explained to Kommersant, this was the deputy’s personal initiative.

Thus, the alignment of political forces in Khakassia following the 2023 elections actually repeated the situation before the start of the campaign. A nominee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation still heads the executive branch, the post of speaker of parliament is still occupied by a member of United Russia, and two senators from the republic represent both leading parties in the region.

Valery Lavsky, Novosibirsk