The fight for the governorship of St. Petersburg intensifies. Insiders are already naming potential successors to of mayor, notes political analyst Ilya Grashchenkov.
“It seems that the current leader, Alexander Beglov, will not be appointed for a second term in 2024, but on the contrary, he could leave earlier than planned to be promoted to the structures of the federal government (for example, to of head of the RF SP) or big business,” notes the expert.
Grashchenkov, citing sources close to Smolny, points out that Beglov did not initially “burn” the desire to serve as governor, so for him a possible departure is not a political defeat. Moreover, the attacks on the leader of St. Petersburg by the businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin (and whom no one has arrested) could lead to serious conflicts within the administration of the city itself.
– Among the possible successors of Beglov, they began to name the figure of Dmitry Kozak, whom insiders also appoint to of head of the RF SP. However, in the role of Governor of St. Petersburg, Kozak would have seemed more organic. In addition, along with the change of the leader of the city, a number of large-scale replacements could take place, in particular at the embassy of the North-Western Federal District. Given the peculiarity of regional politics during the NWO period, this position could be occupied by a person from law enforcement,” added the political scientist.