Aman Tuleyev, the long-time governor of Russia’s Kemerovo region, where a huge mall fire on Sunday last week killed at least 64 people, including 41 children, resigned yesterday.
Tuleyev, who had been at the helm of the key coal-mining region since 1997, said in a video that he could no longer remain at his post with “such a heavy burden” and added that his resignation was “the only right choice.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted his resignation, the Kremlin said.
Photo: AP
The fire ravaged a mall in the industrial city of Kemerovo in western Siberia, a tragedy that plunged Russia into shock.
Some parents lost all their children, and the youngest victim was a two-year-old toddler.
Many people who lost relatives have said they died because of the inaction of firefighters and police lacking the necessary equipment and skills.
Tuleyev himself came under heavy criticism for failing to visit the scene of the tragedy in the first few days or meet with angry relatives.
Putin — who traveled to Kemerovo on Tuesday last week — had initially refused to sack the 73-year-old governor, despite rare protests in the city.
Tuleyev apologized to Putin over the rally — where protesters also called for Putin’s resignation — calling its organizers troublemakers.
Officials have said that multiple safety rules were violated, the fire alarm system was not working and staff did not follow correct emergency procedures.
Sergei Tsivilyov, who has been Tuleyev’s deputy since last month, has been appointed acting governor, the Kremlin said.
The ailing Tuleyev had long been expected to leave the post.
The region of about 2.7 million people has traditionally been considered one of Russia’s most troubled regions and some have feared that Tuleyev’s departure could spark a leadership crisis there.
Tuleyev, who first became governor in the era of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin in 1997, is one of Russia’s longest-serving top officials.
He was credited with helping pacify the region, which was beset by miners’ strikes in the turbulent 1990s, but had come to symbolize the worst excesses of authoritarianism in his later years, critics have said.
Polls to elect a new governor are to be held in September.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
RSS