Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen resigns. He stated this on February 15 at the press conference.
'As you know, there is a lot of work on rotation of personnel at federal and regional level in Russia today,' Khudilainen addressed to journalists. 'This is a deliberate, considered decision – not to to take part in elections, which will be held in 207 days. We should allow the presidential candidate to approve himself in Karelia and offer residents a decent way of its development. Today, situation in Karelia is fine, dynamics is rather good. This is connected with the preparation for its centennial in 2020, and the receipt of money for the federal target program of the republic. Such dinamics showed that five years have not been wasted. We have done a lot, laid a good foundation. Hopefully, presidential candidate, who will be appointed to continue the dynamics of development of Karelia, will do everything to change quality of life in Karelia. Thank you very much for your work, for your understanding, for the promotion of our Karelia, it deserves it.
Native Karelia resident Arthur Parfyonchikov is likely to be a successor of the now ex-head; in recent years he has served as Director of the Federal Bailiff Service, and before that he worked in the prosecutor's office in Petrozavodsk. According to the «7x7» sources, Parfyonchikov already arrived in Petrozavodsk. Media mentioned head of the Federal Forestry Agency Ivan Valentik as another contender for the post of the head.
Khudilainen was the fifth governor, who retired in the last few days. On February 6, governor of the Perm region Viktor Basargin resigned; the next day he was followed by his colleague from Buryatia Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn; governor of the Novgorod region Sergei Mitin left his post two days ago. February 14, Vladimir Putin accepted the resignation of Oleg Kovalev, head of the Ryazan region. Term of office of all retirees expired in 2017, and all of them assured that they did not want to be re-elected.
Alexander Khudilainen became one of the last governors who took office not on the results of elections but the presidential appointment. Appointment of Khudilainen took place in late May. 2012, a few days before the entry into force of the law, that returned the election of regional governors.
Gleb Yarovoy, «7x7»
