According to the decree signed by Medvedev on 23 April, political parties will significantly strengthen their role in the processes of appointing new governors. The decree reads that the biggest political party in the respective regions will be entitled to nominate a minimum of three governor candidates. The president will subsequently be the one choosing the preferred candidate, and this person will also have to be approved by the regional parliament.
The president will be entitled to reject all nominated candidates, Rossiiskaya Gazeta reports.
The new procedures will significantly strengthen the powers of the dominating political party in the regions. Today, government-loyal United Russia will be the one benefiting from the new law.
United Russia from before has a major level of control over Russian regional politics. With only a handful of exceptions, the Russian governors are members of the party. The recent dismissal of Murmansk Governor Yury Yevdokimov illustrates the party’s zero-tolerance on governor loyalty towards the party structures.
From before, it was formally the presidential aides in the seven federal districts which nominated candidates for governor, whereupon the president chose his preference and the regional parliament approved the nominee.
Read the decree here
