Irina Alksnis, for RIA Novosti
The resignation of Aman Tuleyev from the post of governor made us recall those quite ancient times when any changes in the leadership of Russian regions were akin to tectonic shifts in political system the whole country.
Many governors and presidents who took office in the 1990s were at that time political heavyweights not only at their own regional level, but also at the federal level. But even in those days, few could compete on equal terms with the Kemerovo governor, who not only successfully led a very complex and important region, but was also a truly influential federal politician.
Those days are long gone.
Governors in Russia have long ceased to be untouchable political figures, and there are now a minimal number of iconic federal figures among them. Rotation in their ranks has become an ordinary process and is of interest - in addition to the actual citizens in these regions - mainly to the Russian managerial class and a small circle of experts in this field. And criminal cases against former and current regional heads are now being initiated in batches.
Changes in the Russian political system have fully affected Aman Tuleyev, who has long since become simply one of many dozens of Russian governors who stand out among their colleagues only for their political longevity and special respect for him from their colleagues and the federal center.
But, by evil irony, the circumstances of leaving office Kemerovo governor are such that they make you remember the old times when any governor's resignation caused heated discussions and numerous speculations among the widest audience.
There is little doubt that if Aman Gumirovich had the opportunity to turn back time, he would prefer a quiet and boring retirement, like most of his colleagues from the 1990s. But you can’t rewind history, and the end of the career of the Kemerovo governor is now forever associated with a terrible fire in which dozens of people died.
Although you can look at this situation from the other side.
Aman Tuleyev became the first case in the history of modern Russia when the head of a region (albeit not immediately) took responsibility for a tragedy that occurred on his territory and left his post in connection with this.
As you know, just a couple of days ago the Kremlin emphasized the topic of the resignation of the Kemerovo governor, refusing to comment on this issue. At the same time, the statements of the Russian president during his trip to Kemerovo left no doubt that this time the “switchmen” will not be punished and all those responsible for what happened will get their due, regardless of their status and past merits.
However, despite this, Tuleyev's resignation came as a surprise to many: most observers were inclined to believe that although his resignation was inevitable, there would be a pause of several months before it was announced.
© Ruptly
It is worth paying tribute to one of the veterans of Russian politics, who, with his current step, actually laid down a new tradition of the Russian state-political system. And Vladimir Putin’s phone call after accepting his request for early resignation with gratitude for his work makes sense to be considered in this context.
Leader ability high level Taking personal responsibility deserves respect in any case. And especially in a situation where he is a “pioneer” in this traditionally difficult area for Russia.
Another thing is that Aman Tuleyev has become very a clear example for the Russian system and in another sense. The Kemerovo authorities were harshly criticized not only for the tragedy that occurred, but also for serious shortcomings in the reaction to it, in particular for problems in communication with shocked residents of the region.
This, of course, arises logical question: Would these frictions have arisen between the authorities and Kemerovo residents if Tuleyev was still full of strength, energy and talent to talk with people for whom he was so well known throughout Russia twenty years ago?
This reminds the leaders of the Russian state-political system of the lesson of the disastrous consequences of the Soviet gerontocracy.
However, considering how intensely last years a new generation of managers is being prepared and put into operation, at the very top Russian state this is obviously well understood.
After the tragedy in mall“Winter cherry” in Kemerovo, the governor of the Kemerovo region, Aman Tuleyev, submitted a request to Vladimir Putin for early resignation from his post on April 1. The President accepted the petition, appointing Vice-Governor Sergei Tsivilev as acting governor. Despite Tuleyev’s statement that his decision to resign was voluntary, social networks considered his resignation forced, and also remembered the governor’s efforts to follow instructions “from above” in everything.
Governor of the Kemerovo region Aman Tuleyev resigned early due to at will. Tuleyev announced his decision in a video message to residents of the region. The recording was published on the website of the administration of the Kemerovo region, as well as on the YouTube channel of the press service on April 1. In his address, Tuleyev noted that he had decided to resign in connection with Kemerovo.
Today, now I want to tell you, I submitted to the president Russian Federation resignation letter. I consider it the right, conscious, and only right decision for myself. Because it’s impossible to work as a governor with such a heavy load. Morally it is impossible.
Some media outlets and users agreed that Tuleyev’s resignation was not at all voluntary and that such a decision was “brought down” on the former governor from above. So, according to Alexei Makarkin, an expert at the Center for Political Technologies, if it were not for the fire in the shopping center, Tuleyev would not have given up his post, writes.
Probably, from somewhere above, he was asked, to put it mildly, but it was formalized as his decision, because this is, after all, an era in the history of the region and it would hardly be possible to simply fire a person here. I think that if not for this tragedy, he would have been the head of the region for some time.
There is a version that the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, convinced Tuleyev to resign, FlashSiberia writes, citing an agency source. According to the agency’s interlocutor, Bastrykin met with Tuleyev in Kemerovo on March 31 and conveyed to him a message about the need to leave his post.
He (Bastyrkin) conveyed to Tuleyev Moscow’s wish to inform him of his voluntary resignation, which he did. In this case, Moscow gave Tuleyev the opportunity to save face as much as possible in a difficult situation. Aman Gumirovich understood everything and did not argue.
Some users of social networks agreed with this opinion, believing that Tuleyev himself did not intend to resign from the post of governor.
Stanislav Shkel
Tuleyev’s resignation once again convincingly showed that personnel issues of this level are resolved by a very narrow circle of people and absolutely situationally. Therefore, all these questions from journalists about forecasts of resignations or appointments and the answers of experts to these questions are all empty chatter and blah blah blah.Other users considered Tuleyev’s departure an April Fool’s joke and, until the very end, refused to believe in the veracity of his intentions.
In connection with the appointment on the VKontakte public page "Typical Kemerovo" Tsivilev’s appeal to the residents of the region was published.
Some users expressed support for the new acting governor, noting that they consider Tuleyev’s resignation to be correct. However, comments dedicated to Tsivilev himself allow us to conclude that Kemerovo residents who saw his speeches in the media are dissatisfied with the appointment.
But I watched the online broadcast of the rally on March 27 from start to finish. This is not a person worthy of respect. He even tried to talk about his beloved self at a rally until they shut him up. And these words about PR on blood are worth something to Igor Vostrikov.
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He stated that he considered the decision to resign to be correct, conscious and the only correct one. He said this during a video message published on the regional administration’s YouTube channel. “I consider it the right, conscious, and only correct decision for myself, because with such a heavy load (after the fire in the Winter Cherry shopping center in Kemerovo) as governor, well, it’s impossible, morally impossible,” Tuleyev noted.
The request for early resignation has already been signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the website reports.
Tuleyev has governed the Kemerovo region since 1997, and in 2015 he was re-elected to a fourth term. Now the ex-governor has come under sharp criticism from the public in in social networks for his behavior after the tragedy in the Winter Cherry shopping center. The fire killed 64 people, many of whom were children. It is worth noting that Tuleyev’s own niece also died during the fire. However, this fact did not soften the public's anger.
What added fuel to the fire was that the governor asked forgiveness for what happened in the region not from the citizens, but from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had flown to Kemerovo. He also called the citizens gathered in the city square, who demanded an answer from the authorities for what happened, “troublemakers” who are trying to make political capital from the tragedy.
It is known that the governor had health problems. In June last year, he underwent heart surgery, after which he underwent a long rehabilitation and was absent from work for a long time.
Tuleyev ran for the presidency of Russia three times - in 1991, 1996 and 2000, and previously held various government posts. After his departure, the only governor of the Yeltsin era will remain the head of the Belgorod region.
At the beginning of his career, Tuleyev declared leftist views and relied on support. In 1991, he supported the leadership of the State Emergency Committee, which was trying to remove the union president.
In 1999, he publicly refused to accept the Order of Honor from the president, saying that this government had “plunged the country into poverty.” Subsequently, however, Tuleyev accepted the award from the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Having started his career in the Kemerovo region as a “people’s” governor, over the years in power Tuleyev turned into an authoritarian leader even by Russian standards, ensuring loyalty to the authorities with large percentages paid for. At the same time, Tuleyev was also supported by local “coal kings” who were interested in stability in the region.
“Tuleev was needed to ensure the result of the presidential elections. Everything, or almost everything, rested on his authority in the Kemerovo region. Tuleyev was a talented populist, but no one denies that he had principles. You need to leave on time, while you are remembered as a good and honest man. The deformation from being in power for a long time also affected him,” Konstantin, a political scientist and head of the “Political Expert Group,” tells Gazeta.Ru.
The clouds were indeed gathering for Tuleyev - according to the 2017 “Political Survival of Governors” rating compiled by the St. Petersburg Politics agency, the governor became the target of attacks, and attempts were made to design a “post-Tuleev” configuration of forces.
Back in 2016, two of Tuleyev’s deputies, as well as the head of the regional one, became defendants in a criminal case of extortion. It was a question, as law enforcement officers claimed, of an attempted raider seizure of the Inskoy open-pit mine.
It is worth noting that when the townspeople asked Putin, who arrived in Kemerovo, about Tuleyev’s resignation, he said that he would not fire him “in front of the cameras.” At the same time, political scientist Kalachev notes that Tuleyev’s departure is “a completely expected resignation, rumors about which have been circulating since September last year.”
However, the fact that the resignation took place on Sunday suggests that “the move was forced.” Tuleyev’s decision to leave his post could have been accelerated by the arrival of the head of the Investigative Committee to the region, the expert argues.
Bastrykin himself, in the open part of the meeting, without mentioning Tuleyev’s name, rather sharply criticized both local and regional authorities for the fire in Kemerovo.
“An entire era has ended. Soon Tuleyev will be of interest only to historians. And if he had left a little earlier, or at least made a statement that after the presidential elections he was ready to leave his seat, now everything would look completely different,” says Kalachev.
Instead of Aman Tuleyev, his deputy Sergei was appointed acting head of the Kemerovo region. As stated in, elections for a new head will be held on September 9 on a single voting day, and the decision on their appointment must be made before July 10.
Tsivilev, who worked in the coal business in Yakutia, is called the person who will most likely lead the region following the election results. He became deputy governor in March of this year. During a spontaneous public meeting, he went out to the crowd and, after an argument with those gathered, asked for their forgiveness. Succumbing to emotions, Tsivilev even went down on one knee in front of people, explaining this as a Russian custom.
Kalachev calls Tsivilev an “effective manager.” And he says that, having visited the enterprise in Yakutia, the head of which is Tsivilev, he saw in front of him a “modern enterprise” where the workers actively supported Putin.
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Aman Tuleyev announced his resignation
The governor of the Kemerovo region, Aman Tuleyev, who has headed the region since 1997, resigned. He recorded a video message in which he linked his decision to the fire in the Winter Cherry shopping center, which killed 64 people.
“Dear Kuzbass residents, I did everything I could. I met with the families of the victims, tried to resolve issues of providing assistance. Once again, I offer my deepest condolences,” Tuleyev said.
"I submitted my resignation to the President of the Russian Federation. I consider it a correct, conscious and only correct decision for myself. Because it is impossible to work as a governor with such a heavy burden. Morally it is impossible. Peace and goodness to you. And to your families. May the Lord protect everyone from you and our native Kuznetsk land,” added Tuleyev.
The day before possible resignation Tuleyeva reported to Znak.com on April 1. According to a source of an online publication close to the administration of the Kemerovo region, Tuleyev’s resignation will be of a “mild nature” (the governor himself will address residents of the region). RBC previously reported that there are no plans for a “demonstrative resignation” of Tuleyev. The regional administration's website says that the governor resigned "of his own free will."
Among the victims of the fire in Winter Cherry are about 40 children, including an 11-year-old relative of Tuleyev. The 73-year-old governor never appeared at the scene of the fire, and he also ignored those who came out to the rally on March 27 local residents, at a meeting with President Tuleyev, their “troublemakers”. This meeting lasted more than 11 hours; in particular, the vice-governor of the region Sergei Tsivilev, who is called a possible successor to Tuleyev, spoke with its participants.
At a meeting with Putin on March 27, Tuleyev apologized for the tragedy to him, but not to the residents of the region: “Vladimir Vladimirovich, you personally called me. Once again, thank you very much. I apologize to you personally for what happened on our territory.” An apology to the Kuzbass residents appeared later.
Aman Tuleyev is 73 years old and entered politics in the late 1980s. He headed the Kemerovo region in 1997, and was re-elected four times as head of the region with a result of 93.5-96.69% of the votes. His powers for the next gubernatorial term expired in 2020.During Aman Tuleyev’s work as governor of Kuzbass, rumors repeatedly appeared about his health problems and his upcoming resignation. In particular, on May 22, 2017, he went on official leave, which was later extended due to an operation prescribed to him due to a problem with intervertebral discs back in the fall of 2016. Against this background, reports appeared in the media that Tuleyev would leave his post, but the information was not confirmed, and on August 12 he returned to work.
According to the Charter of the Kemerovo Region, the first deputy governor will act as head of the region.
