Regional governors - the power basis of President Medvedev
The regional governors are likely to become a core part of the power basis of President Dmitrii Medvedev. The new Arkhangelsk Governor Ilya Mikhalchuk might be one of his men.
For Dmitrii Medvedev, the liberal-minded new president of Russia, the support from regional leaders is likely to be of major importance, Kommersant reports. The new president can not expect the support needed from the current power hardliners in Russian politics, and will be major need of a power basis not dependent of former President Putin.
The question now arises to which power clan the newly appointed Arkhangelsk Governor Ilya Mikhalchuk belongs.
The appointment of Mr. Mikhalchuk was made in a rush and came as a surprise both to the Arkhangelsk public and the Russian political establishment. As BarentsObserver previously reported, regional analyst Vadim Treskin sees the appointment as a sign of a possible power battle between conflicting interests in the Kremlin. He fears that the new governor might not be a uniting figure.
Another prominent figure in Arkhangelsk, former city mayor Aleksandr Donskoy, has on the other hand cherished the choice of new governor, seeing him as a clever and constructive administrator. Mr. Mikhailchuk was appointed by the presidential administration on 10 March and approved by the Arkhangelsk regional parliament on the 19 March.
As noted by Kommersant, Ilya Mikhailchuk is most likely the last governor appointed by the Putin administration.
