New Mayor of Moscow appointed

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Moscow City Duma voted on October 21 to appoint Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's nominee Sergei Sobyanin as the new Moscow Mayor.

Thirty-two lawmakers, who are members of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, voted for Sobyanin. Two deputies voted against Sobyanin's candidacy, and one was absent from the session.

Medvedev proposed Sobyanin, who has served as deputy prime minister, for the capital's top position after dismissing veteran mayor Yury Luzhkov on September 28 over a "lack of confidence."

Sobyanin, 52, was head of the presidential administration under Vladimir Putin, currently the prime minister of Russia, and then Medvedev from 2005-2008 and ran Medvedev's presidential election campaign in 2008.

In May 2008, Sobyanin was appointed deputy prime minister and the government's chief of staff under Putin's second cabinet.

Sobyanin's appointment was not a surprise for the Russian public. The inauguration ceremony is expected to begin at 4:00pm Moscow time.

On October 18, during a meeting with members of the United Russia party and the Communists in Moscow, Sobyanin shared his plans to work out his own city development program, if appointed mayor.

Sobyanin said he will pay most attention to social and transportation problems, which Medvedev called Moscow's main woes. He also pledged to solve the city's complicated situation with construction of housing, education and health care, RIA Novosti reported.