Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Resigns as President of Kalmykia
By DYLAN LOEB MCCLAIN
Dmitry Astakhov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, right, meeting with Vladimir Putin, who was then Russia’s president, in the Kremlin in August 2006.He made the announcement, which is dated Sept. 7, on his campaign Web site.
Ilyumzhinov said that he made the decision voluntarily so he could devote more time to promoting chess. Nevertheless, in recent months the Kremlin has been cleaning house — forcing many long-time leaders of Russian republics to step down at the end of their terms, among them Murtaza G. Rakhimov of Bashkortostan, Eduard Rossel of Sverdlovsk Oblast and Mintimer Shaimiyev of Tatarstan.
The Russian central government appoints the presidents of the republics and they serve at the discretion of the Kremlin. Ilyzumzhinov’s term in office was due to expire next month.
There had been rumors for months that Ilyumzhinov would not be reappointed. Only two days ago, the campaign Web site of Anatoly Karpov, Ilyumzhinov’s opponent in the upcoming chess election, carried a story from RBC Daily, a Russian business newspaper, that Ilyumzhinov was being forced out.
Though the Kremlin has never said anything about whether Ilyzumzhinov would be reappointed, it is possible that his penchant for talking about his abduction by aliens, which he has mentioned many times, as well as the mysterious source of his wealth and the impoverished state of Kalmykia finally weighed too heavily on him politically.
Now that he will no longer be president of Kalmykia, all of Ilyumzhinov’s eggs are in one basket: winning re-election to the federation, which is also known by the acronym FIDE (for Fédération Internationale des Échecs). He has been president of the federation since 1995.
The election is supposed to be Sept. 29 during the biennial Chess Olympiad, which this year is in Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia. But the election may not happen.
Karpov, along with five national federations, have filed a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, seeking to have Ilyzumzhinov’s election ticket disqualified.
The lawsuit alleges that Ilyumzhinov and one member of his slate, Beatriz Marinello, are not members of the national federations that nominated them — as required by FIDE’s rules. Ilyumzhinov was supposedly nominated by Russia (though Karpov, who is also Russian, disputes this), Argentina and Mexico.
Yesterday, Chessbase, a chess news Web site, (which has been attacked by Ilyumzhinov’s campaign as biased) reported that an Argentinian government official has said that Ilyumzhinov is not a member of the federation. Karpov is also claiming that Argentina’s federation is now supporting him and has withdrawn its support for Ilyumzhinov. That seems to be the case from the Web site of the Argentinian federation.
The arbitration court is holding a hearing on the lawsuit on Sept. 15 and 16.
Ilyumzhinov claims that he has the support of 93 federations, which is more than enough to be re-elected. (Each federation gets one vote and there are about 165 voting members.) Of course, Russia and Argentina are among the countries that Ilyumzhinov is saying support him, and Karpov is saying that they will vote for him, so the situation is clearly fluid.
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Source: Chess Base News
Ilyumzhinov resigns as President of Kalmykia
07.09.2010 – We informed our readers that this could happen in a July report. Now Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has, in his own words, "requested not to be considered for another term as head of the Republic of Kalmykia" – where he has served as President since 1993. From now on he wants to devote his attention fully to FIDE, which he has served since 1995. Statements and press reports.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Resigns as President of Kalmykia To Focus On FIDE
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the President of Kalmykia since 1993, has requested not to be considered for another term as head of the republic. Ilyumzhinov intends to focus solely on developing chess around the world as President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).“I served as President of Kalmykia for a very long time. Now I hope to apply my 20 years of political and government experience as well as my connections and friendship with heads of state and regional governments to the efforts of making chess more popular and a successful game,” said Ilyumzhinov in an interview.Russian and western media discuss Ilyumzhinov’s resignation and acknowledge that it’s quite rare in Russia for a top politician to walk away from his post.
“I made this decision because I realize that promoting and developing chess around the world is a full-time job and it requires all of my attention. At the moment we are implementing such important programs as ‘chess in the school curriculum’ ,“ said Ilyumzhinov, adding, “I remember that my predecessor, 5th FIDE President Florencio Campomanes, asked me to run for FIDE President back in 1995, in Paris. It was then that he told me that chess was his life, that he lives and breathes chess and that if I felt the same way, that I would love this job too. I thought it over and agreed. Thinking back on this now, it is not even a hard decision to leave politics. I am extremely happy to be able to spend my time promoting and developing this great game.”Source: Ilyumzhinov campaign site
Statement of the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
There is also a very critical statement by Ilyumzhinov on the campaign site. It accuses the rival candidates, ex-World Champion Anatoly Karpov and his team of politicising the election and, interestingly, using anti-democratic tactics. Excerpts:Unfortunately, from the very start, the electoral campaign of Anatoly Karpov and leaders of his headquarters Garry Kasparov and Richard Conn, has become a political confrontation. From the very beginning their actions have been destructive, aimed at the schism of the chess world and National Federations to serve their political ambitions, which have nothing to do with chess life.Full statement on the Ilyumzhinov campaign site
Such destructive tactics, where “any means to an end”, is used by A. Karpov, G. Kasparov and R. Conn in many countries of the world, including those which officially and openly expressed their support at the forthcoming elections. ... This looks particularly strange, considering the fact that G. Kasparov feels that he is an adherent of democratic principles.
For the record, as a Russian citizen, it is not pleasant for me to see and read some interviews of G. Kasparov to foreign media, where he is expressing open aggression towards the country and its leader. Here we mean the country which has provided Mr. Kasparov with shelter and protection during his difficult moments, and which has contributed immensely to his personality growth and professional success.
Eccentric Russian regional strongman to step down
A Russian regional leader who claims to have visited an alien spaceship says he is retiring. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov told Interfax agency Monday that will step down after his term expires in October. Since 1993, Ilyumzhinov has headed the predominantly Buddhist southern province of Kalmykia. The arid, impoverished area is dominated by Mongol-speaking Kalmyks. Ilyumzhinov has also been president of FIDE, the International Chess Federation governing body, since 1995. Aside from the spaceship claim, Ilyumzhinov says he uses hypnosis in daily communication and consults clairvoyants in his business affairs. Rights activists have accused him of cronyism, corruption, rights abuses and squandering government funds on chess championships and Buddhist temples.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Resigns as President of Kalmykia
Kirsan Ilyuzmhinov, the president of the World Chess Federation, who is running for re-election as head of the organization, has announced that he is resigning as president of Kalmykia, a Russian republic on the Caspian Sea. Ilyumzhinov is 48 and has been president of Kalmykia since 1993.Ilyumzhinov said that he made the decision voluntarily so he could devote more time to promoting chess. Nevertheless, in recent months the Kremlin has been cleaning house – forcing many long-time leaders of Russian republics to step down at the end of their terms. The Russian central government appoints the presidents of the republics and they serve at the discretion of the Kremlin. Ilyzumzhinov’s term in office was due to expire next month.
Though the Kremlin has never said anything about whether Ilyzumzhinov would be reappointed, it is possible that his penchant for talking about his abduction by aliens, which he has mentioned many times, as well as the mysterious source of his wealth and the impoverished state of Kalmykia finally weighed too heavily on him politically.
Now that he will no longer be president of Kalmykia, all of Ilyumzhinov’s eggs are in one basket: winning re-election to FIDE. He has been president of the federation since 1995. The election is supposed to be Sept. 29 during the biennial Chess Olympiad, which this year is in Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia. But the election may not happen. Karpov, along with five national federations, have filed a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, seeking to have Ilyzumzhinov’s election ticket disqualified.
The lawsuit alleges that Ilyumzhinov and one member of his slate, Beatriz Marinello, are not members of the national federations that nominated them – as required by FIDE’s rules. Ilyumzhinov was supposedly nominated by Russia (though Karpov, who is also Russian, disputes this), Argentina and Mexico.
Yesterday, Chessbase, a chess news Web site, (which has been attacked by Ilyumzhinov’s campaign as biased) reported that an Argentinian government official has said that Ilyumzhinov is not a member of the federation. Karpov is also claiming that Argentina’s federation is now supporting him and has withdrawn its support for Ilyumzhinov. The arbitration court is holding a hearing on the lawsuit on Sept. 15 and 16.
Ilyumzhinov claims that he has the support of 93 federations, which is more than enough to be re-elected. (Each federation gets one vote and there are about 165 voting members.) Of course, Russia and Argentina are among the countries that Ilyumzhinov is saying support him, and Karpov is saying that they will vote for him, so the situation is clearly fluid.
Kalmyk endgame
Ilyumzhinov admits that Medvedev may not reappoint him. “It’s been a long time already, it’s quite possible I’ll be leaving,” he told RBC. The paper also spoke with Alexander Ledzhinov, who was a colleague of the Kalmykian opposition journalist Larisa Yudina, killed in 1998 with former Ilyumzhinov aides jailed for the murder. As for Ilyumzhinov, there were rumors several months ago that he would be offered a post in the Russian Ministry of Agriculture. But he says he will not leave Kalmykia. Since so much of Ilyumzhinov’s personal financial dealings are directly connected with the finances and authority of Kalmykia after 17 years in absolute power there, it will take time to clean house.
Kalmykia Leader to Quit
Kalmykia President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov said Monday that he would not seek reappointment after his fourth presidential term expires in October, Interfax reported. Ilyumzhinov cited President Dmitry Medvedev’s policy of rotating regional leaders as the reason for his decision and said he would support any successor put forth by Medvedev and the ruling United Russia party. United Russia did not name any possible candidates Monday. Ilyumzhinov, who has led the Buddhist republic since 1993, said he would try to organize a visit by the Dalai Lama and hoped to continue as the president of the International Chess Federation. He is running for re-election in the chess federation later this month.
Kalmyk president to step down
Kalmyk President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov plans to step down after his current term expires next month. Ilyumzhinov, who has headed his Volga republic for almost 17 years, is foursquare behind President Dmitry Medvedev's drive to bring new blood into the regional leadership. He says he will stay in the republic, where he is going to organize the visit of the Dalai Lama and continue in his capacity of president of the International Chess Federation. The past year has seen the departure of several veteran governors some of whom had ruled their regions since 1991.
Voices from Kalmykia
For all the attention devoted to Kirsan Ilyumzhinov as FIDE President, his role as Head of the Republic of Kalmykia remains more of a mystery. Daria Aslamova’s recent two-part report offered a fascinating glimpse into everyday life in the small steppe republic. Daria is one of Russia’s more colourful journalists. She catapulted to fame after writing a kiss-and-tell memoir on her encounters with the political establishment, but since then has reported from war zones (an English journalist described her “lively dispatches of the Moll-Flanders-goes-to-war variety”) and has recently been writing in-depth reports from the edges of Europe for the most popular Russian daily newspaper, “Komsomolskaya Pravda”. The original report from Kalmykia can be found here: part one, part two. An English summary is to be found at Chess in Translation.
News / From Our Bureaus
Eccentric President Of Kalmykia To Step Down After 17 Years
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
September 08, 2010
ELISTA, Russia -- The president of the southern Russian republic of Kalmykia has announced he will not seek reelection for the post he has held since 1993, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, 48, is the first and only president of Kalmykia, a predominantly Buddhist republic north of the Caucasus.
He said on September 7 he will not stand again for office because he supports "the policy of [Russian President Dmitry Medvedev] aimed at renewing the leaders of the regions."
Ilyumzhinov added that he will support any candidate supported by Medvedev and put forward by United Russia, of which he is a member.
Basan Gorodovikov, the deputy chairman of the civil group the Emergency Rally of the People of Kalmykia, told RFE/RL that Ilyumzhinov's resignation has been met with enthusiasm by opposition groups in the region.
"There was relief among the residents of Kalmykia on hearing the news that Ilyumzhinov will not be a candidate for another term," he said. "After 17 years of Ilyumzhinov's rule, Kalmykia is in a dire economic state. The republic has regularly ranked last in all statistics for the Russian Federation."
Kalmykia, which has a population of some 300,000, is one of Russia's poorer regions. Ilyumzhinov has faced fierce opposition to his eccentric rule, which his opponents say was marred by corruption and gross mismanagement.
Gorodovikov said he hopes Medvedev will "put right the mistakes made by his predecessor [Vladimir Putin]."
Political scientist Andrei Makarkin told RFE/RL he does not think Ilyumzhinov's retirement as president marks a victory for Medvedev against Putin's regional presidential selections.
"This is the latest step in the firing of the heads of the regions who are seen as deep-rooted veterans," Makarkin said. "Like with [the recently retired former president of Tatarstan, Mintimer] Shaimiyev and [the former president of Bashkortostan, Murtaza] Rakhimov."
Makarkin said the most-interesting thing about Ilyumzhinov stepping down is that he was not allowed to appoint a successor.
Ilyumzhinov, who has served four terms as president, said he will leave his post on September 24.
Ilyumzhinov has also been the president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) since 1995. He spent millions of dollars building a Chess City on the outskirts of the capital, Elitsa, and introduced mandatory chess classes for elementary school students.
During a May interview on Russian television, Ilyumzhinov reiterated claims that he had been visited by aliens in Moscow in 1997.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, 48, is the first and only president of Kalmykia, a predominantly Buddhist republic north of the Caucasus.
He said on September 7 he will not stand again for office because he supports "the policy of [Russian President Dmitry Medvedev] aimed at renewing the leaders of the regions."
Ilyumzhinov added that he will support any candidate supported by Medvedev and put forward by United Russia, of which he is a member.
Basan Gorodovikov, the deputy chairman of the civil group the Emergency Rally of the People of Kalmykia, told RFE/RL that Ilyumzhinov's resignation has been met with enthusiasm by opposition groups in the region.
"There was relief among the residents of Kalmykia on hearing the news that Ilyumzhinov will not be a candidate for another term," he said. "After 17 years of Ilyumzhinov's rule, Kalmykia is in a dire economic state. The republic has regularly ranked last in all statistics for the Russian Federation."
Kalmykia, which has a population of some 300,000, is one of Russia's poorer regions. Ilyumzhinov has faced fierce opposition to his eccentric rule, which his opponents say was marred by corruption and gross mismanagement.
Gorodovikov said he hopes Medvedev will "put right the mistakes made by his predecessor [Vladimir Putin]."
Political scientist Andrei Makarkin told RFE/RL he does not think Ilyumzhinov's retirement as president marks a victory for Medvedev against Putin's regional presidential selections.
"This is the latest step in the firing of the heads of the regions who are seen as deep-rooted veterans," Makarkin said. "Like with [the recently retired former president of Tatarstan, Mintimer] Shaimiyev and [the former president of Bashkortostan, Murtaza] Rakhimov."
Makarkin said the most-interesting thing about Ilyumzhinov stepping down is that he was not allowed to appoint a successor.
Ilyumzhinov, who has served four terms as president, said he will leave his post on September 24.
Ilyumzhinov has also been the president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) since 1995. He spent millions of dollars building a Chess City on the outskirts of the capital, Elitsa, and introduced mandatory chess classes for elementary school students.
During a May interview on Russian television, Ilyumzhinov reiterated claims that he had been visited by aliens in Moscow in 1997.
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