PUTIN TO DETERMINE FATE OF RUSSIAN SCHWARZENEGGER

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MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Yury Fillipov). This stocky man with a beard does not even remotely resemble the famous Terminator.

Yet after comedian Mikhail Yevdokimov triumphed in the gubernatorial election in Russia's Altai territory a year ago, he was often called the Russian Schwarzenegger. After all, a celebrity in a governor's chair is as rare in Russia as it is in the United States.

Like the Californian governor, Yevdokimov is a self-made man. He performed comedy sketches on stage and then moved into politics, betting on his image as an ordinary guy who always told the honest truth. In the run-off round of voting, he defeated the incumbent governor, professional government official and politician Alexander Surikov, whose campaign was supported by the entire region's bureaucracy. The comedian's victory took even hard-boiled Moscow officials by surprise. In the ten years that post-Soviet Russia had held gubernatorial elections, very different characters have come to power - diehard bureaucrats, retired officers, former security service officers, businessmen and even people with a criminal record. It was hard to believe, though, that voters would some day choose a former clown to run their region.

Still, Yevdokimov has never had problems with voters. However, immediately after his election, he did encounter difficulties in relations with local bureaucrats, district heads and deputies. Local officials were none too eager to obey a person who, in their opinion, had appeared out of nowhere. Today, Yevdokimov faces far more serious complaints than his famous counterpart in California. Arnold Schwarzenegger is occasionally reproached for the serious situation with the state's social sphere, but Yevdokimov stands accused of destroying the territory's entire administrative system.

The local legislative assembly has twice asked President Putin to dismiss the governor. In response, the governor promised to arrange a total inspection of how the territory obeyed the law, which was to be carried out by the presidential administration and the Audit Chamber. Events have come to an impasse: local deputies are demanding that the comedian-governor resign immediately, while he is threatening to expose their real or alleged abuses.

At a recent session of the Altai legislature, Yevdokimov refused to answer deputies' questions and walked out of the hall. He had no choice if he were only going to be asked questions that would once again demonstrate his evident incompetence in economic matters. "Deputies are already dreaming about how we will fail in the sowing campaign and all they are speaking about is that the territory will not be ready for the heating season," the governor says.

The conflict has gone so far that now Putin will have to decide the matter. He did not fire Yevdokimov when deputies first asked him, but advised the legislature to listen to the governor's report. But the president may take a different approach on the second occasion. Interestingly, laws adopted recently make conflicts between legislators and governors unlikely. Under the new procedure, the president proposes a candidate, usually nominated by the party that has won regional elections, for the legislature to endorse. Yevdokimov, however, received his mandate under the previous procedure, at popular elections. He has neither parties nor deputies to thank for his post, which makes his situation extremely complicated.

On the one hand, Altai voters elected a former comedian as their governor. On the other hand, they also elected deputies who are hostile to the governor of their choice. Schwarzenegger has it much easier: he may lean on the Republican Party, which will not allow its candidate to be incompetent, or look helpless or ridiculous. In Russia, where the party system is only emerging, a governor-artist is an unaffordable luxury for voters.

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