New Head for Tuva Chosen by President Putin

Political crisis which has been tearing Tuva for the last 6 months since illegal cancellation of the vote results in October 8, 2006 parliamentary elections seems to be over. Sherig-ool Oorzhak, 64, who has been running the republic for the last 17 years, has been not nominated for the new term by President Putin, as the head of the republic and his team beleived. Sherig-ool Oorzhak's 3d term expired on March 17, but no candidature was put forward what signalled that the Kremlin could not make the decision. It was done only yeasterday - Russian President Vladimir Putin nominated Sholban Kara-ool, 40, for the post of Chairman of the Republic of Tuva to the bicameral Great Khural, the Kremlin official Web site reported. The candidate was nominated for the post in accordance with Article 18 of the Federal Law as for October 6, 1999 No. 184 "About the general principles of management of legislative and executive power in the entities of the Russian Federation".
Sholban Kara-ool is currently the head of the United Russia party local branch in Tuva. After graduating from the phylosophy faculty at the Ural State University he began to run his own business. In 1998 he was elected a deputy to the Supreme Kural (the then name for the parliament) and then the head of the parliament. In 2002 he was the main Sherig-ool Oorzhak's rival at the Prime-Minister's elections and gathered 22% votes as compared to 52 received by Sherig-ool Oorzhak.