State Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznyov said Thursday he would run for governor of the Moscow region, a decision that takes him out of a tough battle for a Duma seat in St. Petersburg, where he would face former Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin.
The Duma and gubernatorial elections are both scheduled for Dec. 19.
Seleznyov said he was running in response to a request from members of scientific organizations and ordinary citizens at a party conference. "I've accepted," Seleznyov was quoted as saying by Interfax. "A victory in the Moscow region is very important. I will try my fate here." He added that the region was potentially prosperous but that the current authorities were not able to make the most of their resources.
The registration deadline is Nov. 4. Candidates named as potential contenders include former Cabinet Minister Boris Fyodorov and incumbent Anatoly Tyazhlov, but so far none has registered.
Seleznyov said he would keep his place on the Communist Party Duma slate, which practically guarantees him a seat in the next Duma. Half the seats in the Duma are allocated by the vote for the parties' slates, and half from voting in districts like the one in St. Petersburg.
Political analyst Nikolai Petrov of the Moscow Carnegie Center said that Seleznyov had little chance in the Moscow region, which surrounds but does not include the capital, and was only looking for a graceful exit from the race against Stepashin.
"Seleznyov's main problem now is to get out of the St. Petersburg race without losing face," said Petrov. "He is just trying to save himself from defeat. He has no chance in St. Petersburg, because he has a much lower rating than Stepashin."
Stepashin is running under the banner of the liberal Yabloko party, which has a strong following in St. Petersburg. Communist Party head Gennady Zyuganov denied that Seleznyov was ducking a confrontation with Yabloko, but Yabloko head Grigory Yavlinsky crowed that the Communists had "surrendered without combat," Interfax reported.
According to Petrov, the Moscow region is a difficult political territory because it is made up of many small entities and lacks unity.
"It's a cruel political environment and Seleznyov lacks the experience needed. He doesn't have serious resources," he said. He added that other challengers would also have little chance and that he expected the current governor, Tyazhlov, to win reelection.