Politics
Medvedev fires Moscow mayor for ‘losing president’s trust’
Reading Time: 4 minutesRussian President Dmitry Medvedev has fired Moscow Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov following a high-stakes political standoff between the Kremlin and the powerful city leader.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has fired Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov following a high-stakes political standoff between the Kremlin and the powerful city leader.
Medvedev issued the decree sacking Luzhkov while on a state visit to China.
Speaking to media in Shanghai, the president was blunt about his reasons for removing the long-serving mayor. "It’s not just suspension, it’s a removal from office. That means that I have fired him. And I’ve used this wording for the first time," Medvedev said. "There is little to comment on, because the reason is mentioned in the decree itself. The reason is, that I, as the president of the Russian Federation, have lost my trust in Yury Mikhailovich Luzhkov as the mayor of Moscow."
Kremlin spokeswoman Natalia Timakova told reporters that Luzhkov, once one of Russia’s most influential figures, was now "just a citizen."
Medvedev named First Deputy Mayor Vladimir Resin, a longtime Luzhkov ally, to serve temporarily as mayor. Timakova said the president is currently preparing list of candidates to serve as Luzhkov’s permanent replacement.
Resin announced the decision at the opening of Moscow city government meeting.
"Today it was announced on TV that there is a [presidential] decree about the dismissal of the mayor of Moscow," Resin said. "We haven’t received it yet. So Yury Mikhailovich [Luzhkov] asked me to chair the meeting of [Moscow] government today."
Resin has held the first deputy’s job since 2001 and has responsibility for the city’s construction sector.
Long Run
Luzhkov has been a fixture in the Russian capital for nearly two decades. He has served as Moscow’s mayor since 1992 and has long been considered one of the country’s most powerful politicians. With his trademark flap hats and gruff manner, he was also one of its most colorful.
His departure comes as Russia prepares for what is widely expected to be a tense political season, with elections to the State Duma scheduled for December 2011 followed by a presidential contest in March 2012. Political control over the capital, which accounts for almost one-quarter of Russia’s national economy, is considered crucial in those votes.
The conflict with Luzhkov, which had dragged on for weeks, was also seen as a key test of Medvedev’s strength amid widespread speculation that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would seek a return to the presidency in 2012.
Putin — a Luzhkov ally who is also Medvedev’s political mentor and is widely seen as Russia’s most powerful politician and true ruler — has maintained a stony silence throughout the standoff.
Russian national media have focused on a handful of possible successors for Luzhkov, including Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Sobyanin, Nizhny Novgorod Governor Valery Shantsev, and Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Speaking to Reuters, Moscow businessman Morif Yovchin said removing Luzhkov was a positive move.
"He was a good mayor, but maybe it’s worth changing him," Yovchin said. "Like with any other position, movement is needed."
Latest To Go
For the past year, Medvedev has been seeking to replace long-serving regional leaders, who are nominated by the president and confirmed by provincial legislatures.
In March 2009, he replaced Oryol Governor Yegor Stroyev and Murmansk leader Yury Yevdokimov. Longtime Sverdlovsk Oblast Governor Eduard Rossel retired in November 2009. Volgograd Governor Nikolai Maksyutka and Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiyev stepped down in January. Bashkortostan President Murtaza Rakhimov announced his retirement in July.
In most cases, regional leaders marked for replacement have resigned voluntarily, following intensive negotiations with the Kremlin about the terms of their departures and retirements. Luzhkov instead chose to defy Medvedev and attempt to hang on to power, setting off a high-stakes game of brinksmanship.
In an article published in "Rossiiskaya gazeta," the government’s official newspaper, Luzhkov criticized the effectiveness of Medvedev’s administration and suggested he was a weak leader.
Russian state television then broadcast a series of programs accusing Luzhkov and his wife, Yelena Baturin, of widespread corruption. Baturina was listed by "Forbes" as the world’s third-richest businesswoman with assets of $2.9 billion.
Critics have long alleged that Luzhkov ran Moscow like a personal fiefdom, although he and Baturina strenuously deny accusations of wrongdoing.
As the conflict simmered, Luzhkov left for Russia for a vacation in Austria last week. He was widely expected to step down when he returned to Moscow on September 27, but he continued to defiantly insist that he would not willingly leave his job.
‘Loss Of Trust’
In firing Luzhkov, Medvedev also issued clear warning to other potentially disobedient officials.
"The law that was adopted a few years ago foresees that losing of president’s trust could be one of the reasons [for dismissal]," Medvedev said. "It’s hard to imagine in which circumstances the head of the region could work while having no trust of the president as a highest official of the state. That happened for the first time, but I cannot guarantee, that there would not be new cases. It will depend on circumstances."
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Russian Service, opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who has long sought Luzhkov’s ouster, praised Medvedev’s decision and called for a corruption investigation against Luzhkov.
"Losing the trust of the president is a very serious accusation," Nemtsov said, adding that precedent suggested an investigation might follow. "Medvedev, in the past, only used this wording when he dismissed the three governors of the Koryak, Nenets, and Amur regions. Two of them were dismissed because of criminal prosecutions against them and one because half of the region was frozen in the winter. So now, if the criminal investigation of multiple corruption cases does not start, then the legitimacy of today’s decree could be doubted, and Luzhkov could emerge as an independent political player."
After being fired as mayor, Luzhkov resigned from the ruling United Russia party, Russian news agencies reported.
Luzhkov, 74, was appointed mayor by former President Boris Yeltsin in 1992, shortly after the Soviet collapse. He oversaw a construction boom in the capital that helped transformed Moscow from a drabness and gray Soviet monolith into a vibrant metropolis.
A new football club has earned a leading place in the UEFA Champions League groups and starred in the headlines of worldwide football news yesterday. The Football Club Sheriff Tiraspol claimed a win with the score 2-1 against Real Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. That made Sheriff Tiraspol the leader in Group D of the Champions League, including the football club in the groups of the most important European interclub competition for the first time ever.
International media outlets called it a miracle, a shock and a historic event, while strongly emphasizing the origin of the team and the existing political conflict between the two banks of the Dniester. “Football club from a pro-Russian separatist enclave in Moldova pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history,” claimed the news portals. “Sheriff crushed Real!” they said.
Moldovans made a big fuss out of it on social media, splitting into two groups: those who praised the team and the Republic of Moldova for making history and those who declared that the football club and their merits belong to Transnistria – a problematic breakaway region that claims to be a separate country.
Both groups are right and not right at the same time, as there is a bunch of ethical, political, social and practical matters that need to be considered.
Is it Moldova?
First of all, every Moldovan either from the right or left bank of Dniester (Transnistria) is free to identify himself with this achievement or not to do so, said Vitalie Spranceana, a sociologist, blogger, journalist and urban activist. According to him, boycotting the football club for being a separatist team is wrong.
At the same time, “it’s an illusion to think that territory matters when it comes to football clubs,” Spranceana claimed. “Big teams, the ones included in the Champions League, have long lost their connection both with the countries in which they operate, and with the cities in which they appeared and to which they linked their history. […] In the age of globalized commercial football, teams, including the so-called local ones, are nothing more than global traveling commercial circuses, incidentally linked to cities, but more closely linked to all sorts of dirty, semi-dirty and cleaner cash flows.”
What is more important in this case is the consistency, not so much of citizens, as of politicians from the government who have “no right to celebrate the success of separatism,” as they represent “the national interests, not the personal or collective pleasures of certain segments of the population,” believes the political expert Dionis Cenusa. The victory of FC Sheriff encourages Transnistrian separatism, which receives validation now, he also stated.
“I don’t know how it happens that the “proud Moldovans who chose democracy”, in their enthusiasm for Sheriff Tiraspol’s victory over Real Madrid, forget the need for total and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria!” declared the journalist Vitalie Ciobanu.
Nowadays, FC Sheriff Tiraspol has no other choice than to represent Moldova internationally. For many years, the team used the Moldovan Football Federation in order to be able to participate in championships, including international ones. That is because the region remains unrecognised by the international community. However, the club’s victory is presented as that of Transnistria within the region, without any reference to the Republic of Moldova, its separatist character being applied in this case especially.
Is it a victory?
In fact, FC Sheriff Tiraspol joining the Champions League is a huge image breakthrough for the Transnistrian region, as the journalist Madalin Necsutu claimed. It is the success of the Tiraspol Club oligarchic patrons. From the practical point of view, FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a sports entity that serves its own interests and the interests of its owners, being dependent on the money invested by Tiraspol (but not only) oligarchs.
Here comes the real dilemma: the Transnistrian team, which is generously funded by money received from corruption schemes and money laundering, is waging an unequal fight with the rest of the Moldovan football clubs, the journalist also declared. The Tiraspol team is about to raise 15.6 million euro for reaching the Champions League groups and the amounts increase depending on their future performance. According to Necsutu, these money will go directly on the account of the club, not to the Moldovan Football Federation, creating an even bigger gab between FC Sheriff and other football clubs from Moldova who have much more modest financial possibilities.
“I do not see anything useful for Moldovan football, not a single Moldovan player is part of FC Sheriff Tiraspol. I do not see anything beneficial for the Moldovan Football Federation or any national team.”
Is it only about football?
FC Sheriff Tiraspol, with a total estimated value of 12.8 million euros, is controlled by Victor Gusan and Ilya Kazmala, being part of Sheriff Holding – a company that controls the trade of wholesale, retail food, fuels and medicine by having monopolies on these markets in Transnistria. The holding carries out car trading activities, but also operates in the field of construction and real estate. Gusan’s people also hold all of the main leadership offices in the breakaway region, from Parliament to the Prime Minister’s seat or the Presidency.
The football club is supported by a holding alleged of smuggling, corruption, money laundering and organised crime. Moldovan media outlets published investigations about the signals regarding the Sheriff’s holding involvement in the vote mobilization and remuneration of citizens on the left bank of the Dniester who participated in the snap parliamentary elections this summer and who were eager to vote for the pro-Russian socialist-communist bloc.
Considering the above, there is a great probability that the Republic of Moldova will still be represented by a football club that is not identified as being Moldovan, being funded from obscure money, growing in power and promoting the Transnistrian conflict in the future as well.
Photo: unknown
Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavrilita, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu, pay an official visit to Brussels, between September 27-28, being invited by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles.
Today, Prime Minister had a meeting with Charles Michel, President of the European Council. The Moldovan PM thanked the senior European official for the support of the institution in strengthening democratic processes, reforming the judiciary and state institutions, economic recovery and job creation, as well as increasing citizens’ welfare. Natalia Gavrilita expressed her confidence that the current visit laid the foundations for boosting relations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, so that, in the next period, it would be possible to advance high-level dialogues on security, justice and energy. Officials also exchanged views on priorities for the Eastern Partnership Summit, to be held in December.
“The EU is open to continue to support the Republic of Moldova and the ambitious reform agenda it proposes. Moldova is an important and priority partner for us,” said Charles Michel.
Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita also met with Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy, expressing her gratitude for the support received through the OMNIBUS macro-financial assistance program. The two officials discussed the need to advance the recovery of money from bank fraud, to strengthen sustainable mechanisms for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Moldova, and to standardize the customs and taxes as one of the main conditions for deepening cooperation with the EU in this field.
Additionally, Prime Minister spoke about the importance of the Eastern Partnership and the Deep Free Trade Agreement, noting that the Government’s policies are aimed at developing an economic model aligned with the European economic model, focused on digitalization, energy efficiency and the green economy.
A common press release of the Moldovan Prime Minister with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell Fontelles, took place today, where the agenda of Moldova’s reforms and the main priorities to focus on in the coming months were presented: judiciary reform; fighting COVID-19 pandemic; promoting economic recovery and conditions for growth and job creation; strengthening state institutions and resilience of the country.
“I am here to relaunch the dialogue between my country and the European Union. Our partnership is strong, but I believe there is room for even deeper cooperation and stronger political, economic and sectoral ties. I am convinced that this partnership is the key to the prosperity of our country and I hope that we will continue to strengthen cooperation.”
The Moldovan delegation met Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice. Tomorrow, there are scheduled common meetings with Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Adina Valean, European Commissioner for Transport and Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy.
Prime Minister will also attend a public event, along with Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.
Photo: gov.md
Politics
Promo-LEX about Maia Sandu’s UN speech: The president must insist on appointing a rapporteur to monitor the situation of human rights in Transnistria
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, pays an official visit to New York, USA, between September 21-22. There, she participates in the work of the United Nations General Assembly. According to a press release of the President’s Office, the official will deliver a speech at the tribune of the United Nations.
In this context, the Promo-LEX Association suggested the president to request the appointment of a special rapporteur in order to monitor the situation of human rights in the Transnistrian region. According to Promo-LEX, the responsibility for human rights violations in the Transnistrian region arises as a result of the Russian Federation’s military, economic and political control over the Tiraspol regime.
“We consider it imperative to insist on the observance of the international commitments assumed by the Russian Federation regarding the withdrawal of the armed forces and ammunition from the territory of the country,” the representatives of Promo-LEX stated. They consider the speech before the UN an opportunity “to demand the observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Russian Federation with reference to this territory which is in its full control.”
“It is important to remember about the numerous cases of murder, torture, ill-treatment, forced enlistment in illegal military structures, the application of pseudo-justice in the Transnistrian region, all carried out under the tacit agreement of the Russian Federation. These findings stem from dozens of rulings and decisions issued by the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Russia is responsible for human rights violations in the region.”
The association representatives expressed their hope that the president of the country would give priority to issues related to the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region and would call on relevant international actors to contribute to guaranteeing fundamental human rights and freedoms throughout Moldova.
They asked Maia Sandu to insist on the observance of the obligation to evacuate the ammunition and the military units of the Russian Federation from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, to publicly support the need for the Russian Federation to implement the ECtHR rulings on human rights violations in the Transnistrian region, and to request the appointment of an UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova.
**
The Promo-LEX Association concluded that 14 out of 25 actions planned within the National Action Plan for the years 2018–2022 concerning respecting human rights in Transnistria were not carried out by the responsible authorities.
The association expressed its concern and mentioned that there are a large number of delays in the planned results. “There is a lack of communication and coordination between the designated institutions, which do not yet have a common vision of interaction for the implementation of the plan.”
Promo-LEX requested the Government of the Republic of Moldova to re-assess the reported activities and to take urgent measures, “which would exclude superficial implementation of future activities and increase the level of accountability of the authorities.”
Photo: peacekeeping.un.org
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