Kremlin may back Shoigu for Krasnoyarsk

摘要

Russian emergencies minister Sergei Shoigu has become a likely Kremlin-backed candidate for the governorship o metals-rich Krasnoyarsk after the death of incumbent Alexander Lebed in a helicopter crash last month (MB May 6).Shoigu, who scores second only to President Vladimir Putin in Russian popularity polls, went to college in Krasnoyarsk and worked there in the building industry before going into politics. He leads Edinstvo, the party formed with Putin's encouragement that skyrocketed from nothing to become the second largest parliamentary party in the December 2000 elections. A Kremlin loyalist would be considered a proponent of stability, and therefore good for business in Krasnoyarsk. He may also be welcomed by Russian Aluminium, which controls the giant KrAZ aluminium smelter and whose joint owner Roman Abramovich is considered to have a premium on political influence.