Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with high-ranking officials of Dagestan, at which he announced the upcoming resignation of the head of the republic, Sergei Melikov. According to the head of state, the colonel general will move to another job. The chairman of the Supreme Court of Dagestan, Fyodor Shchukin, was proposed as a successor to the president. Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative Magomed Ramazanov, who was previously predicted for this position, will take over the post of Prime Minister.
Resignation of Sergei Melikov, about which sources from Kommersant and other media reported in early April, turned out to be framed in an unusual way. On the evening of April 30, Vladimir Putin announced it at a meeting with high-ranking Dagestan representatives – Chairman of the People’s Assembly (Parliament) of the republic Zaur Askenderov, his deputy Kamil Davdiev, deputies Imran Avayev and Musafendi Velimuradov, Mayor of Makhachkala Dzhambulat Salavov, as well as State Duma deputies Khizri Abakarov and Nurbagand Nurbagandov. Mr. Melikov himself did not take part in it.
According to the president, he decided to discuss with those gathered the work to eliminate the consequences of the devastating floods that hit Dagestan at the end of March, as well as the personnel issue. “The current head of the republic, Sergei Alimovich Melikov, ends his term in September. He has done a lot, and we are grateful to him for this, but he is moving to another job: life moves on,” said Vladimir Putin, without specifying what position the Colonel General would occupy.
It is important that at the head of Dagestan there appears a person who is “able to solve the problems at hand,” “knows what and how to do, taking into account what has been done,” and also “is respected by people.”
“This is probably the most important thing,” Mr. Putin emphasized.
He then recalled that the republic “like a drop of water” reflects everything that is connected with the ethnic component of Russia as a whole, and that is why a special procedure has been established for electing the head – by parliament deputies on the proposal of the president. “Before doing this directly, I just wanted to see you, talk to you, consult with you, hear your opinion,” Vladimir Putin explained, recalling that before him were “respected people” who devoted their entire lives to Dagestan.
The speaker of the Dagestan parliament said that in this matter, trust on the part of the Dagestanis, professionalism, as well as the personal moral qualities of the future leader of the republic are important. “My colleagues and I discussed and see that (the candidacy) meets these requirements.— “Kommersant”). We have the Chairman of the Supreme Court, Fedor Vyacheslavovich Shchukin,” said Zaur Askenderov, adding that the judge has been working in the republic for two years, works closely with deputies and “fits in harmoniously.” “Even though he is not from Dagestan, he is registered in our republic. This characterizes him as a person who is focused on long-term work, and perhaps forever,” emphasized Mr. Askenderov.
As it turned out, the speaker already had a candidate for the post of prime minister, who could work with Fyodor Shchukin “in tandem.” We are talking about the Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in the Far Eastern Federal District, Magomed Ramazanov, who earlier, on behalf of Vladimir Putin, went to his native Dagestan to help eliminate the consequences of the disaster. Vedomosti and RBC reported then that Mr. Ramazanov was considered as a replacement for Sergei Melikov.
“His line of work is quite closed, so we know little about him, but this is probably good, it means that this characterizes him as a professional worker,” said Zaur Askenderov, calling Mr. Ramazanov a “thoughtful” person and recalling that he takes part in all meetings: “We think that such a tandem would probably be successful. Of course, at your discretion.”
In response, Vladimir Putin said that Fyodor Shchukin is known in Moscow as a decent, consistent and honest judge who will “without any doubt proceed from the interests of the people.”
“He managed not only to fit in, but he works in principle – but without conflict. This is also a separate talent. He tries to take into account people’s interests not only from the point of view of the requirements of the law, but also based on the realities of life.” The only question is that Mr. Shchukin will be able to resolve issues of a “purely economic plan,” the president emphasized: “But in principle, since his functions also include resolving disputes in the field of civil law and arbitration proceedings, in general I hope that he will succeed.”
Political scientist Rostislav Turovsky believes that the replacement of Sergei Melikov with Fyodor Shchukin creates a “compromise model of power sharing” in Dagestan: “Ramazanov, who was expected by many to take the post of head, probably did not suit all groups of the elite. But he immediately fell to become the head of government, and he, in fact, will manage the executive body. The appointment of Shchukin, a native of the judiciary, shows that the new head of the region will focus more on political issues. And among his tasks may be the fight against corruption, given that he is not involved in local clans.”
Political scientist Konstantin Kalachev recalls that the demand for change in Dagestan was obvious. “The problems of the republic are known – high unemployment, low income, problems with the efficiency and quality of regional governance. The fact that a judge will become the new head is, of course, symbolic. We need an arbiter equidistant from everyone.”
