President Dmitry Medvedev has decided to replace the governors of Rostov and Orenburg with unexpected candidates who promise to add to his political weight but could rattle the regions.
Rostov-born Vasily Golubev, 53, a Moscow region district head, is set to replace Vladimir Chub, who has led the Rostov region for almost 20 years.
Yury Berg, 56, mayor of Orsk, a town in the Orenburg region, has been named to replace Alexei Chernyshev, who has served as Orenburg governor for more than 10 years.
Both candidacies have been submitted to the regions' legislatures for confirmation, the Kremlin said on its web site Saturday.
Medvedev is flexing his political muscles by replacing long-serving governors with the little-known nominees, said Alexander Kynev, an independent political analyst.
But because Golubev and Berg have little ties to local elites, their appointments could lead to a significant reshuffle of the local administrations and a redistribution of economic clout in the regions, Kynev said.
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