St. Petersburg governor Valentina Matviyenko has agreed to stand for the post of speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament.
Her decision comes after the Federation Council’s longtime speaker Sergei Mironov was ousted by the ruling United Russia party.
"Matviyenko will hold all the necessary talks with the Federation Council and begin to undertake all the necessary procedures to be elected into the upper house," Natalya Timakova, the spokeswoman for Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, told reporters on Tuesday.
Speaking to Matviyenko earlier today, Medvedev said that Russia "would benefit if you accept the post."
Matviyenko was nominated to become the first female head of the Federation Council last week by Rustem Khamitov, the head of Russia’s oil-rich province of Bashkortostan in the southern Urals region.
Mironov, who had come under fire for his criticism of Matviyenko, was recalled from the upper house on May 18. He took a seat on the lower house, the State Duma, earlier this month.
It is not clear who will replace Matviyenko as St. Petersburg governor.
