President Dmitry Medvedev has nominated Kalmykia’s first deputy prime minister, Alexei Orlov, as the new leader of the Buddhist republic, Interfax reported Tuesday.
Orlov's candidacy was submitted Monday to the local legislature, which has to confirm the appointment, the report said.
Incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, 48, has governed Kalmykia since 1993 but said Sept. 6 that he would not seek reappointment after his fourth term expires next month.
Ilyumzhinov cited Medvedev’s policy of limiting governors to three terms as the reason for his decision. He also said he plans to continue as president of the World Chess Federation, where he faces a tough re-election contest later this month.
Orlov, 48, a Kalmykia native and a graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, was shortlisted for Kalmykia's top job by the ruling United Russia party on Sept. 8 along with Volgograd Deputy Governor Alexander Dorzhdeyev, deputy chief of the Federal Service for Financial Markets Bembei Khukhlachiyev and the speaker of Kalmykia’s legislature, Anatoly Kozachko.
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