Gennady Gudkov, the opposition-minded former State Duma deputy ousted amid an politically tinged ethics probe, may run for Moscow region governor in a fall election.
Gudkov has tentatively agreed to run on the ticket of the liberal Yabkolo party in the September election, Itar-Tass reported Thursday.
The Duma stripped Gudkov of his mandate in November amid allegations that he was actively involved in commercial interests while serving as deputy, which is forbidden by Russian law. His supporters say the ouster was in response to his leading role in large street protests against President Vladimir Putin.
If Gudkov runs for governor of the region that surrounds the capital and is home to a significant chunk of foreign investment, he would replace acting Governor Andrei Vorobyov, who was installed in November after his predecessor, Sergei Shoigu, was appointed defense minister. Shoigu, in turn, took the reins just months earlier when the previous, long-serving governor quit under pressure from the Kremlin.
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