Commentary
Nikolay Petrov
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Military Caps Replaced by Plain Old Hats
While previous presidential envoys were typically former military officers, recent appointees, like the new envoy to the Siberian Federal District, are professional economists, demonstrating Moscow’s awareness of the need to develop regional economies.
Published on Sep 10, 2010
Source: The Moscow Times
Rumors surfaced weeks ago that the envoys to the Siberian, Volga and Northwestern districts might lose their jobs, and it was clear last month that Tolokonsky was on his way out when United Russia put his deputy, Vasily Yurchenko, at the top of its list of candidates for October regional elections. It makes sense to replace Tolokonsky before the vote because his reputation has been tainted by a scandal involving two officials with alleged gang ties. Even so, Tolokonsky, who takes over as presidential envoy from an ex-head of the General Staff, is a successful leader.
The reshuffle appears to be timed to coincide with the Kremlin-hosted Yaroslavl modernization conference, which opened Thursday. President Dmitry Medvedev, who will address the conference Friday, wants to show that his personnel policies are being modernized.
It’s tempting to call this Medvedev’s appointment. Indeed, Tolokonsky is the third economy-savvy governor to be named as presidential envoy in recent months, after Khabarovsk Governor Viktor Ishayev and Krasnoyarsk Governor Alexander Khloponin. All three have political ambitions, an increasing rarity among governors. But Tolokonsky is not just the successful governor of a modernized region. He is a professional economist with vast managerial and political experience who has won numerous elections, including for mayor and governor, and knows how to end conflicts and handle factions within the ruling elite.
This makes Tolokonsky’s new job look like a move by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin — a post-recession evolution of his personnel policies. It is no coincidence that all three regions to supply economy-savvy governors hosted United Russia congresses attended by Putin. One more, in the Volga Federal District, is coming up, possibly spelling the ouster of its envoy, Grigory Rapota.
What is happening here is presidential envoys in military caps are being replaced by envoys in hats simply because the situation has changed. Moscow needs to develop regional economies, and this job is better handled by civilians with economic backgrounds than former military officers.
About the Author
Nikolay Petrov
Former Scholar-in-Residence, Society and Regions Program, Moscow Center
Nikolay Petrov was the chair of the Carnegie Moscow Center’s Society and Regions Program. Until 2006, he also worked at the Institute of Geography at the Russian Academy of Sciences, where he started to work in 1982.
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Nikolay Petrov
Recent Work
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