A week after he resigned as Kemerovo governor, citing an unbearable "moral" burden following a shopping-mall fire that killed 64 people, veteran Russian politician Aman Tuleyev is expected to be elected as speaker of the regional legislature. The chairman of the Kemerovo regional council of deputies, Aleksei Sinitsyn, stepped down on April 9 and said that Tuleyev deserved to replace him. Sinitsyn said that the lawmakers in the council were "Tuleyev's team" and added, "I think it is absolutely fair that the team leader runs it." Tuleyev was elected speaker on April 10 by vote of 38-1 in the legislature, which like others across Russia is dominated by the Kremlin-controlled United Russia party. Tuleyev received a parliamentary seat on April 3, two days after he resigned as governor. He resigned on April 1, saying it was "morally impossible" to stay on after the March 25 fire at the Zimnyaya Vishnya (Winter Cherry) mall in the regional capital -- one of the deadliest blazes in post-Soviet Russia. He and his subordinates were criticized over what many have seen as a callous response to the tragedy, including their characterizations of public outrage as the work of political opportunists. Residents, relatives of victims, and Russians nationwide blamed corruption and government negligence for the high casualty toll in blaze, whose victims included 41 children -- some of whom died after being trapped in a locked movie theater at the mall. Investigators said initial investigations indicated that blocked fire exits, a shutdown alarm system, and "glaring violations" of safety rules exacerbated the human toll of the fire. Seven people have been arrested in the case, including the head of the local building-inspection agency and an executive with the firm that owns the shopping mall. The Kemerovo regional council, dominated by the ruling United Russia party, voted 38-1 to appoint Tuleyev as its speaker on Tuesday, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Aman Tuleyev, who resigned as governor of Kemerovo Oblast after a shopping centre fire killed 64 people there, is elected speaker of the regional legislature.