Tag Archives: Sergey Sobyanin

Another brick in the wall

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Quick, how are these men related? And no, they're not being casted for the sequel to 'Step Brothers.' (photos courtesy of: lenta.ru and mvestnik.ru)

Sergey Sobyanin’s appointment to succeed Yuri Luzhkov as Moscow’s mayor is merely the latest manifestation of the latest old fad sweeping Russian regional politics. Sobyanin, basically a political non-entity whose previous job was as Putin’s chief of staff, was appointed for one main reason, it seems; he is a manager, not a politician. This means that not only is he legally dependent on maintaining the confidence of the Kremlin leadership – leaders of Russian regions are appointed and removed by presidential decree – but politically as well. Sobyanin’s case is not unique as appointing governors politically and legally dependent on the center has been going on since the 2004 reforms that eliminated direct elections for regional governors. Continue reading →

Moscow’s new mayor makes vague promises about…well, we’re not sure

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Moscow’s mayor-to-be (we’d say mayor-elect, but then again, he’s not being elected) Sergey Semyonovich Sobyanin has promised to take on those nagging problems of corruption and traffic in the lead up to his confirmation hearing in front of the Moscow City Duma this Thursday. Of course, a coronation confirmation it will be as even the two Communist deputies planning to vote against Sobyanin’s confirmation have said they feel Sobyanin is disposed for a ‘constructive dialog’ with them and that their vote is against the political system in the country, not against him personally. The other thirty-two members of the City Duma are United Russia members (Sobyanin is a member of the party’s upper council) with a third KPRF member currently in the hospital, according to the Gazeta.ru story. The vote, therefore, will be nothing but a rubber stamp on the decision, announced Friday to appoint Sobyanin as the next mayor of Moscow. Continue reading →