Russian Arctic region leader quits in clash with pro-Kremlin party

Mar 23, 2009, 11:00 GMT

Moscow - The governor of Russia's arctic region of Murmansk resigned after angering the dominant pro-Kremlin party United Russia, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported Monday.

Yuri Evdokimov last week fell out with his party, United Russia, by openly supporting his former deputy instead of the ruling party's candidate in municipal elections in Murmansk on March 15, the daily said.

The problem was only exacerbated when independent candidate Sergei Subbotin defeated the pro-Kremlin party's candidate by a margin of 26 per cent.

A Kremlin source, speaking on anonymity, was quoted by the paper as saying it was 'unacceptable' that 'on the day of the elections, the governor took part in illegal agitation in favor of a candidate and called on people to support him.'

The Kremlin announced on the weekend that President Dmitry Medvedev had accepted Evdokimov's resignation and appointed an official of the Federal Fisheries Agency to replace the governor, who had served as head of Northern Russian region since 1996.

The new mayor, Subbotin, declared his support for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who heads the United Russia party, but declined to join the party.

Though United Russia swept the polls in regional elections this month, tensions between the Kremlin and regional party officials have intensified as they jostle over the government's anti-crisis measures amid growing public discontent.

Medvedev fired four governors and accepted the resignation of another in February. The five had presided over regions with the highest unemployment since the start of the financial crisis.

 Earlier this month, Russian newspapers published a rating by a Moscow-based think tank on the 'political survival rate of governors.' Evdokimov ranked among those most in danger of losing their jobs.

Commentators Monday said Evdomikov's case would serve as an alert signal to other governors. The president has the power to appoint and dismiss governors since enaction of a law proposed by Putin in 2004 that scrapped popular elections to the regional posts.

Another bill passed by Russia's lower house last week bans independent candidates from standing for municipal elections. Only party candidates will now be allowed to run.