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Elections at various levels were held in 82 Russian regions on the single election day, September 10. Governors and heads of republics were elected in 17 regions, with one elected by direct vote of the republic’s parliament.

The meeting was attended by Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Kiriyenko and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak.

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Opening remarks at a meeting with newly elected regional heads

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues,

First of all, I want to congratulate you on being elected to the high positions of heads of Russian regions.

I must say that I am pleased with the results, but it is a special responsibility for you: most of you received over 60 percent of the vote. It shows a high level of trust, but also the high expectations of those who came to polling stations and voted for you.

Much has been done, but more needs to be done. A bridge is being modernised in Yaroslavl; housing has been built for the victims of wildfires in Buryatia. There are improvements in such important areas as healthcare, housing and utilities, and education.

At the same time, I would like to note that in this hall, there are very experienced people who have gone through election campaigns many times and who have received high praise from the voters, but there are also many young people who have also won great support. This means that voters expect a turn for the better from you and that they hope that young, energetic and skilled people will take well-considered but prompt measures to improve the situation in the relevant regions of the country.

As you know, we have held several events related to the public selection of candidates for various spheres. We began with the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, but we also did this in several other areas. This system of selecting personnel has proved its worth and is being widely used. I hope that you will use this open and transparent system of attracting people to the regional bodies of government and management, so that young people understand what we do and see that the social lift is effective regardless of left- or right-wing influences or connections, and that their careers depend above all on their skills, training, as well as a desire and ability to work in the interests of the people.

We have senior members of the Presidential Executive Office with us today, and the Government knows about the instructions to organise this work at the federal, that is, nationwide level. I strongly hope that you will do the same at the regional level.

I wish you success. I hope that you will develop good business-like relations with the Presidential Executive Office and the Government, and that you will make use of your skills, experience and energy to fulfil the tasks on which you set your eyes when you aspired for these high positions, for this is why the people have elected you. I wish you success and the all the best.

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