Nomination of Audit Chamber Head Delayed, Kudrin Among Candidates

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Guennadi Moukine – June 20, 2013) The State Duma has approved a list of people nominated by political parties for auditor positions at the Audit Chamber but postponed nomination of the head until later in the year, Vedomosti reported Thursday.

There were reports that former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin may be one of the nominees, together with the presidential aide Tatyana Golikova and current head Sergei Stepashin, Izvestia reported Wednesday.

“Stepashin and Golikova will definitely be nominated,” a United Russia spokesman told Izvestia, “And it is likely that Kudrin will be the third.”

Out of six nominees, only three are new.

United Russia renominated their three representatives already serving as auditors: Valery Bogomolov, Vladimir Katrenko and Alexander Zhdankov.

The other three are Sergei Shtogrin, a deputy chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on Budget and Taxes, nominated by the Communist Party’s Maxim Rokhmistrov; a deputy chairman of the same committee, nominated by the Liberal Democratic Party; and Andrei Perchan, a representative of the Kaluga region’s legislative assembly, nominated by A Just Russia.

State Duma Deputy Speaker Ivan Melnikov confirmed that the committee discussed nominations for the head of the watchdog but refused to disclose details.

The watchdog’s governing body elections were not due until 2016 and 2017 but were brought forward by a new law that went into effect in April 2013, changing the election procedure.

Under the new law, the watchdog’s head, deputy head and auditors have to be re-elected by October 1, 2013.

Following the new law, A Just Russia party expressed concerns that the goal of the law was to replace the whole team. He said the team was known for its “integrity, uncompromising attitude and professionalism.”