Oleg Mitvol, former deputy head of the country's environmental watchdog, is in negotiations to become a leader of the liberal Yabloko party.

Mitvol said Wednesday he had presented Yabloko with a plan to reform the party's structure and change its program, Interfax reported. The changes are needed "to boost the party's competitiveness," Mitvol told Kommersant in an interview published Wednesday.

Mitvol might supervise the party's electoral, political and financial activities, Kommersant said. In the interview with Interfax, Mitvol added environmental activities to the list.

Yabloko will vote on Mitvol's candidacy as a party leader at a national congress in January or February, an unidentified party source told Interfax.

Yabloko would be "glad" to see Mitvol in its ranks, party head Sergei Mitrokhin told Interfax.

Mitvol is perhaps best known for opening investigations into alleged environmental violations by oil companies.