Aman Tuleyev finally left in the remnant

In the Kemerovo region, the era of local political heavy-handedness ended.
On Sunday, Vladimir Putin accepted the resignation of the head of the Kemerovo region Aman Tuleyev and appointed his acting deputy governor, Sergei Tsivilev, as acting governor. One of the last governor-heavyweights left the post after a fire in the shopping center "Winter Cherry", in which 64 people were killed. Experts believe that the head of Kuzbass, Sergei Tsivilev, until the governor's election, can keep the situation in the region, he needs to "imitate the new Tuleyev" and not concentrate only on the fire in the "Winter Cherry" shopping center, because there are other problems in the region.

From the "People's Power" to resign

Aman Tuleyev, the governor of the Kemerovo region, resigned, he said in a video message that was posted on the regional administration's website. Tuleyev called his decision "correct, conscious, the only true." "Because it is impossible to work as a governor with such a heavy burden. It's morally impossible, "said the governor, referring to a fire in the" Winter Cherry "shopping center, which killed 64 people. Aman Tuleyev did not come to the scene of the tragedy, but called the "crowded people" at the rally in Kemerovo.

In circulation, he says that together with the residents of the region "a great, very big way of life has passed. From Kuzbass, the striker, sitting on the rails, knocking with helmets, hunger strikes, strikes ... to Kuzbass creating and supporting our state. " The leader of the faction of the United Russia party in the State Duma, Sergey Neverov, who repeatedly elected from the Kemerovo region, on Sunday said that with the name of Aman Tuleyev, "an entire epoch in the life of the region is bound up and its contribution is huge."

Aman Tuleev is one of the last governors-heavyweights. His political career was always connected with the Kemerovo region and began in 1990 when he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and to the regional Council of Deputies. The first ten years of this career, he was considered one of the brightest figures in the camp of the left. For example, in October 1993, he spoke on the side of the rebellious Supreme Council and created the opposition regional movement "Democracy. Block Tuleyev. " Mr. Tuleyev ran for three times in the presidency of the Russian Federation, once having withdrawn his candidacy in favor of the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov.

After the 1996 presidential election, he was appointed minister for CIS affairs, and a year later by Boris Yeltsin's decree - the head of the Kemerovo region administration. In October 1997, he won the gubernatorial election (received 95% of the vote). But then Aman Tuleyev's political beliefs began to change gradually. In the 1999 State Duma elections, Tuleyev was still on the CPRF list, but he already supported Unity in the Kuzbass (the Unity Party and the Fatherland party established the United Russia party in 2001). In December 2003, at the elections to the State Duma, he headed the regional group of United Russia, which, thanks to this, won 52% of the votes in the Kemerovo region. All 35 deputies of the Council of People's Deputies of the Kemerovo region were elected from the "I Serve the Kuzbass" bloc, formed with the support of Tuleyev.

"Tuleev for a long time was one of the most popular and successful governors," says political scientist Rostislav Turovsky. According to him, the authority of the head of the region among the population was very high, he really controlled the mood of the electorate. For example, in the presidential elections in 1996 in the Kemerovo region Gennady Zyuganov in the first round received support from 561 thousand voters (Boris Yeltsin scored twice less - 363 thousand). And in the second round, this figure even grew: 704 thousand supported Mr. Zyuganov (567 thousand voted for President Yeltsin). For comparison: in 2004, when the governor linked himself to the party of power, the Communist Party nominated Nikolai Kharitonov received only 11% in the region, and Putin - 71.1%.


"However, in recent years, Aman Tuleyev began to surrender, and the environment sought to seize power. His real authority was replaced by an administrative resource in the elections, although everything looked the same, "notes Rostislav Turovsky. According to him, the main thing that Aman Tuleyev managed to do at the governor's post was to channel revenues from coal and metallurgical enterprises to the regional budget for social needs: "This is what made the protest Kuzbass an island of stability."

However, the head of the apparatus of the Duma faction of the Communist Party, Nina Ostanina, calls the "myth" the transformation of Kuzbass from the striking region into a constructive one. In 1993, Mrs. Ostanina acted as one of the organizers of the regional bloc of supporters of Aman Tuleyev "People's Power", but in 2010, after the accident at the mine "Raspadskaya", on which 91 people died, they dispersed. "Back then, in 2010, everyone realized that he could not manage the region. He cleaned out the political field and controlled everything one: the economy, politics, the media. In this respect, the region can be compared with the Caucasian republics, "Ms. Ostanina told Kommersant.

During the leadership of the region repeatedly rumors about the possible resignation of Mr. Tuleyev (the last wave was in the summer of 2017). However, the Kremlin provided an opportunity to finalize the governor for twenty years, as well as to choose a successor. However, the scenario with Tuleyev's successor failed. For example, his first deputy, Maxim Makin, resigned in 2016 after the law enforcement agencies began inspecting Teploenergo, where he worked for 15 years. Therefore, the center began to decline to a candidate who is not connected with the region, Rostislav Turovsky said.

Five months for promotion

Acting governor of the Kemerovo region Vladimir Putin appointed on Sunday the vice-governor of Sergei Tsivilev. The general director and the main owner of the coal company Kolmar (which produces coal in the south of Yakutia), Sergei Tsivilev became vice-governor of industry, transport and entrepreneurship in early February. Even then, his appointment to a vacant post almost a year was perceived as the preparation of a change for Aman Tuleyev. Sources "Kommersant" said that the new post of Mr. Tsivilev "with a high degree of probability is temporary in front of the governor's office." The source of "Interfax" in the power structures on March 28 said that decisions on personnel reshuffles in the leadership of the Kemerovo region will be taken in May-June this year after clarifying all the circumstances and causes of the fire. As Kommersant wrote on March 29, during this time the Kremlin was going to assess how much Mr. Tsivilev gets to work in the region and find a common language with the various socio-political forces of the region. In fact, Mr. Tsivilev received Sunday appointment for additional time to prepare for the elections: the election campaign will be announced in early June. "Unlike other cases, which are appointed, usually a year before the elections, he has very little time," said Igor Ukraytsev, deputy of the Kemerovo regional council of the LDPR.


"The decisions (about the time of Tuleyev's resignation-" Kommersant ") could be changed several times-the dynamics were too high," says political scientist Mikhail Vinogradov. "Tuleyev created it with her unsuccessful reaction, and Tsivilev's dual behavior, and the federal center - after being late with reaction to mourning and not wanting to lag again. " Recall, the first meeting of Sergei Tsivilyov with the people turned out to be ambiguous. "Do you want to popiaritsya on the mountain?" - He said at a rally on March 27 Igor Vostrikov, who lost his wife in the fire, three children and a sister. And at the end of the rally, he dropped to his knee, asking forgiveness from the victims.

The fact that Sergei Tsivilev was appointed, "will hardly help him to keep the situation in the region," Nina Ostanina said. "In vain, he knelt down. There are strong people who have never stood on their knees, "she told Kommersant. The head of the government of Yakutia, Yevgeny Chekin, told TASS on Sunday that Sergei Tsivilev during his time at the head of the company "Colmar" achieved "significant results - both in business and in the implementation of social programs." Igor Ukraintsev says that "during the time that Sergei Tsivilev was a deputy, he was hardly seen in Kuzbass and did not know what he is doing": "In five months we will see what it really is capable of and how much Moscow has guessed or not guessed with this appointment, because Kuzbass has not ceased to be a difficult region. " He added that the new leader should be a very powerful communicator and that the ability to communicate with people is a very important component for the first person of the region. "If in other regions you can maintain your authority in other ways, then in Kuzbass you can not cope without direct communication with people," stressed Mr. Ukraintsev. On Sunday, the provincial governor in the video message, in addition to the promise of "the strictest punishment" for all those guilty of the tragedy, said that "direct communication with people" is for him "the most important".

Rostislav Turovsky has no doubt that Mr. Tsivilev will be able to hold the situation in the region to the governor's election - he only needs to "imitate the new Tuleyev." The lack of alternative candidates in the region due to the brushed political field should also play a role, the expert says. Nina Ostanina found it difficult to tell Kommersant whether the KPRF will nominate its candidate for election. Rostislav Turovsky believes that Mr. Tsivilev should not concentrate only on the situation around the fire in the shopping center - there are other problems in the region, for example, environmental ones. In addition, the search for those responsible for the fire can drag the governor into the conflict situation around the law enforcement and supervisory bodies.