President Vladimir Putin on Monday set rules for naming leaders of the country's 89 regions after pushing through a law that abolished their direct election.

The decree, signed by Putin and distributed by the Kremlin, gives the presidential chief of staff the tasks of drawing up and submitting the lists of candidates for governors to the president.

Presidential envoys to the seven federal districts will compile names of candidates and pass them to the Kremlin. The process of nominating candidates will take into account their image, business reputation and track record as a civil servant or public figure, the decree said.