From 1995 to 2005, governors in Russia were elected by the residents of the Russian Federation. Since 2005, by decree of the then President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, governors are appointed by the legislative (representative) bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation at the proposal of the president.
Governors Appointment Procedure
Candidates are proposed to the President of the Russian Federation by political parties that won regional elections, which is enshrined in Federal Law No. 41 of April 5, 2009, and the procedure is approved by Decree No. 441 of the President of the Russian Federation of April 23, 2009.
The party’s permanent collegial body, 90 days before the expiration of the powers of the head of a particular region of the Russian Federation, nominates 3 options for the post of head of the subject for consideration by the president. Before the presentation, the president and the party’s authorized representative from the subject discuss the nominations.
If none of the options proposed by the party is supported by the president, then in accordance with the decree, the head of state initiates consultations with the party and the regional legislative body, after which 3 more candidates are submitted for consideration. Consultations can be held until the agreement on the candidates is reached.
In accordance with the decree on the appointment of governor No. 441, the head of the region is elected by the president of the Russian Federation if the party has not proposed a candidate for the post of head of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation. The choice is made from the list of candidates nominated by the authorized representative of the Federal District of a particular subject.
According to the rules, if the governor is dismissed ahead of schedule, the successor with the prefix "temporarily acting" is appointed personally by the president of Russia. These successors usually receive serious support from the president and central authorities.
2017 trend
In 2017, there was a tendency to replace governors in the regions of Russia. About 20 governors lost their seats for one reason or another, and new heads of regions, who are called young technocrats, were appointed to their posts. Although the word "young" was not suitable for everyone: the head of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Uss Alexander, was 63 years old.
This is a clear trend towards the renewal of regional elites by the Kremlin. The media even announced new methods for selecting candidates: using tests, new criteria for success, and even jumping from a considerable height into the water. In addition to the update trend, another trend was also obvious: rotation of plenipotentiaries in the districts.
2018 trends
According to political scientists, in 2018 there will be several more rearrangements, appointments and dismissals. The new idea for a presidential term after March 18, 2018 is to update the gubernatorial position (about 80 percent by 2020).
Also in 2018, elections will be held in 16 regions, nine of which are temporary acting (acting). Elections are scheduled for September. And there is a likelihood that in April-May there may still be resignations of 1-2 representatives of the regions in order to prepare for the election of new interim.
The Kremlin pursues not only the goal of changing governors - “old” to “new”, but also to accelerate social and economic growth through better governance at the regional level based on modern, competent and efficient financial management. This is especially true during the time of Western sanctions and general economic instability.
Forecasts for 2018 - new appointments of governors and new resignations
Among the likely candidates for resignation during the spring-summer period are governors, whose departure was predicted back in the fall of 2017 (leaders of the Altai Territory, Murmansk Region and St. Petersburg), based on a report on the sustainability rating of leaders of constituent entities of the Russian Federation “State Council 2.0”, developed by the communication holding "Minchenko".
The leaders are also at risk: Vladimir Region Svetlana Orlova, Lipetsk Region Oleg Korolev, Altai Republic Alexander Berdnikov, Chelyabinsk Region Boris Dubrovsky, Kalmykia Aleksey Orlov and Krasnodar Territory Veniamin Kondratyev (8 points or lower in the State Council 2.0 rating - risk zone; all listed leaders have scores of 8 or lower). In 2017, out of 16 governors at risk, 9 were replaced.
Also, based on the rating, it was concluded that the regional leaders who passed through the election of governors at the regional level by popular vote did not show not only any significant growth, but also stability.
The month of close attention ended, and the federal government was preoccupied with its problems and tasks, attention was shifted to other regions, and the newly appointed governors were left alone with their problems. Free flight without the support of the central government turned out to be a test for many and, apparently, not all of this test will pass. So, the leaders of the Kirov region Igor Vasiliev and Udmurtia Alexander Brechalov are selected for the risk zone .
What's next?
A lot will depend on the results of those "young technocrats" who were appointed in September 2017. If their results are recognized as positive, the further procedure for the appointment of governors and the personnel policy as a whole will depend on this. Their positive results will show that the method of preparing new and modern politicians and casting them into the regions works and, most likely, will continue to be practiced. If the results are negative, the Kremlin will have to work out and test a new model for training and appointing regional leaders.
In general, it is worth noting that the practice of appointing governors as president has more pros than cons. The authorities thus have a more effective participation in the management of the regions and can achieve great results in the foreseeable future.