Name Dmitry Kuzmin | ||
Dmitry Kuzmin (Russian: Дмитрий Кузьмин) is the incumbent mayor of the Southern Russian city of Stavropol.
A candidate in the 2007 legislative elections representing the "Just Russia" party, he was barred from taking part in the contest by a court decision in November. Kuzmin won the last mayoral election after defeating the candidate representing the national establishment party, United Russia, by a significant margin.
Born in 1966, May 19 Kuzmin took advantage of opportunities that emerged during the last years of the Soviet Union to become one of the youngest industrial directors of the time in the country. Evidently, a known figure in the city, Kuzmin won the popular mayoral election of 2003. His name attracted significant national attention in early 2007, when he succeeded in retaining his mayoral seat, in an electoral atmosphere considered rather inhospitable to his efforts.
Although he represented a party friendly toward the ruling elite, a significant mayoral victory for a new party in contest with the major 'party of power' was seen as a salient element of what increasingly came to be seen, as [at least the English-language] media often portrayed it, a vote on the country's tightening political course.
He graduated from secondary school No. 5 in Stavropol and the Stavropol Polytechnic Institute.
1992 — member of the Board of Directors "Stavropolski".
In 1998 D.S. Kuzmin founded Dmitry Kuzmin’s Charity Center.
In 2000 D.S. Kuzmin was appointed as chairman of the Committee on International Relations and Parliamentary Links of South Russian Parliamentary Association.
In 2001 D.S. Kuzmin was re-elected as deputy of the third State Duma of Stavropol Krai for the term of 2001-2006.
In September 2002 State Duma of Stavropol Krai appointed D.S. Kuzmin as the head of Stavropol Administration.
In June 2003 D.S. Kuzmin graduated with honors from The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation (RANEPA) and obtained an M.A. degree in State and Municipal Management.
On the 12 July 2003 he defended a PhD thesis on the topic «The modernization of regional socio-economic politics under the conditions of market transformation (case-studies of Stavropol region (Stavropol Krai)». D.S. Kuzmin was awarded a PhD degree in Economics.
On the 15 September 2003, under the resolution of the ruling party «United Russia», D.S. Kuzmin was excluded from the mayoral elections (Stavropol).
On the 19 September 2003, he was restored as a mayoral candidate in accordance with the decision of Stavropol regional court.
On the 21 September 2003, D.S. Kuzmin was directly elected as mayor of Stavropol, for the term of 2003-2008.
On the 25 September 2003, D.S. Kuzmin appointed Utkin A.V., Kobylkin S.N., Petrevsky V.N. as vice-mayors of Stavropol.
In May 2004, in Paris, France, D.S. Kuzmin was elected as a member of the board and the executive office of the International Organization «United cities and local government» (UCLG).
In December 2005 D.S. Kuzmin defended a Doctoral thesis on the topic «The features of Russian external policy against a background of a new international relations paradigm» .
In July 2006 D.S. Kuzmin was awarded a Doctoral degree in Polytology (Sci Dr.)
In February 2006 D.S. Kuzmin was elected as a Russian representative to Congress of the Council of Europe for the term of 2006-2008.
On the 22 May 2006 D.S. Kuzmin is appointed as a member of the Russian delegation in Congress of the Council of Europe for the term of 2006-2008 by the decree of the President of Russia № 227-РП dated by 22.05.2006.
On the 29 May 2006 the Credential Committee of Congress of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, France) extended D.S. Kuzmin’s mandate from 30 May 2006 to 30 May 2008.
On the 30 May 2006 in a session of Congress of the Council of Europe Kuzmin was appointed as vice-president of Culture and Education Committee (Strasbourg, France).
On the 26 December 2006 the Ministry of Justice registered a new political party «A Just Russia».
On the 28 December 2006 D.S. Kuzmin was appointed as a president of the party «A Just Russia» in Stavropol region (Stavropol Krai).
On the 12 January 2007 the mayor of Stavropol D.S. Kuzmin topped the list of deputy candidates to State Duma of Stavropol Krai, the elections were supposed to be held on the 11 March 2007.
On the 21 February 2007 the State Duma of the Russian Federation (Russian Parliament), being afraid of mayor Kuzmin’s success in Stavropol region, issued a direction №-4232-4 ГД. (dated by 21 February 2007) to the Attorney General to prosecute D.S. Kuzmin (at the initiative of the ruling party «United Russia»).
On the 21 February 2007, at the initiative of the ruling party «United Russia», the State Duma of the Russian Federation (Russian Parliament) issued another direction dated by 21 February 2007 № 4233-4 Г.
On 11 March 2007 in the election of State Duma of Stavropol Krai Kuzmin’s party ticket won the majority of votes. It has been a complete failure (the first and the most recent) of the ruling party, «United Russia». As a result, the party «A Just Russia» (Kuzmin’s ticket) won 32 (64%) mandates out of 50. The ruling party, «United Russia», won 8 mandates (16%) out of 50. The myth about the invincible party «United Russia» was completely dispelled. D.S. Kuzmin provisionally renounced his deputy mandate and served as the mayor of Stavropol until the next mayoral elections (held in September 2008). D.S. Kuzmin proposed to appoint the vice-mayor of Sravropol, Utkin A.V., as Chair of State Duma of Stavropol Krai.
30 March 2007, Utkin A.V. was elected as Chair of State Duma of Stavropol Krai by the majority of votes. This was the first and the last time in the history of modern Russia when the regional Parliament was headed by a deputy who belonged to the opposition. The ruling party («United Russia») stroke back.
On the 17 May 2007 the Attorney General of Stavropol Region, Golovanev S.P., was dismissed from his post (order №561-к, dated by 17.05.2007.)
On the 10 August 2007, in accordance with the decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, the list of the members of the Stavropol election committee was revised. The representatives of the ruling party («United Russia») were appointed to the majority of posts, including executive positions.
On the 20 July 2007, in accordance with decree by the President of Russia, the new chief of the Stavropol regional court was appointed.
On the 2 September 2007, in accordance with the order issued by the President of Russia, the elections to the fifth State Duma were announced. The elections were supposed to be held on 2 December 2007.
On the 20 September 2007 the mayor of Stavropol, D.S. Kuzmin, topped the list of deputy candidates of the opposition party «A Just Russia» in Stavropol Region.
On the 2 October 2007, in Monterrey, Mexico, D.S. Kuzmin was presented with a certificate UN –Habitat that granted Stavropol’s inclusion in the Honorary UN list based on the results of the successful execution of the 5-year plan concerning regarding the socio-economical development of the region (the term of 2003-2008).
On the 2 October 2007, at the Congress of the ruling party, «United Russia» nominated S.K.Shoygu for deputy elections to oppose Kuzmin’s candidature (Shoygu served as Minister of Emergency Situations from 1991 to 2012, from 2012 onwards Shoygu serves as Minister of Defence).
On the 30 October 2007, in Jeju, South Korea, at the United Cities and Local Governments Conference (UCLG) D.S. Kuzmin was appointed as a member of the international council and a member of the executive office for the term of 2007-2009 (the 3d term).
On the 20 November 2007 the President V.Putin announces that he regards the forthcoming elections (2 December 2007) to the fifth State Duma as a referendum of confidence to him as the President of Russia.
On the 22 November 2007, according to exit poll studies, the majority of Stavropol population preferred D.S. Kuzmin and his ticket over the ticket of the ruling party («United Russia») in Stavropol Region (Stavropol Krai).
On the 27 November 2007, in accordance with the Stavropol regional court decision, Kuzmin’s Charity Foundation is banned and closed down.
On the 27 November 2007 Chairman of The Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office, Bastrykin A.V., initiated the prosecution of D.S. Kuzmin.
On the 27 November 2007 D.S. Kuzmin is found guilty in absentia.
On the 30 November 2007 the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation excluded D.S. Kuzmin from the voting lists for the election to the State Duma (2 December 2007).
On the 30 November 2007 Stavropol city court temporarily dismissed D.S. Kuzmin from the post of mayor «for the period of investigation».
On the 30 November 2007 Stavropol city court vetoed the elections to State Duma of Stavropol Krai which were supposed to be held on the 2 October 2007.
In the night from 3d to 4th December 2007 D.S. Kuzmin left Russia.
On the 4 December 2007 8 criminal cases are opened against Stavropol’s mayor D.S. Kuzmin who was found guilty in absentia.
On the 13 December 2007 the organs of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation issued an international arrest warrant against D.S. Kuzmin and sent a directive to Interpol.
On the 28 November 2007 a case is opened against the Chairman (President) of State Duma of Stavropol Krai, Utkin A.V. (ex-vice-mayor of Stavropol).
On the 27 November 2007 a case is opened against the deputy Bondarenko E.V. (The chief executive officer of Dmitry Kuzmin’s Charity Foundation).
On the 7 March 2008 Stavropol Electoral Commission requested that the results of the election to State Duma of Stavropol Krai dated by 11 March 2007 are invalidated (the victory of Kuzmin’s party).
On the 7 April 2008 Utkin A.V., the Chairman (President) of State Duma of Stavropol Krai and the deputy of Stavropol Region, handed in a resignation notice, while held in custody.
On the 11 April 2008 the majority of deputies of State Duma of Stavropol Krai (Kuzmin’s ticket) joined «United Russia» and appointed D.A. Edelev, the member of the ruling party (the son of the Vice-Chairman of the Minister of Internal Affairs), as Chairman.
On the 25 May 2008 Stavropol Electoral Commission withdrew the demand to invalidate the results of the elections to State Duma of Stavropol Krai held on the 11 March 2007 regarding the deputies on Kuzmin’s ticket.
On the 3 August 2008, while boarding the plane bound for Kiev, D.S. Kuzmin was detained in Vienna, Austria, in accordance with the international arrest warrant against him. Kuzmin was held in custody for 2 weeks.
On the 7 August 2008 the Russian authorities initiated 2 cases against D.S. Kuzmin. He is found guilty in absentia.
In 2008 and 2009 the Austrian first instance courts ruled that D.S. Kuzmin should be deported to his home country at the request of the Russian Federation. The Austrian Supreme Court cancelled these decisions twice.
At the present time the European Court of Human Rights is adjudicating several appeals by D.S. Kuzmin regarding the illegitimacy of cases brought against Kuzmin by the Russian authorities.
From 2013 to 2014, several European courts, having examined the evidence, decided that the D.S. prosecution by the Russian authorities is politically substantiated. All the decisions came into force in 2014.
In 2014 D.S. Kuzmin appealed to Interpol with a request to invalidate the international arrest warrant against him issued by the Russian authorities.
On the 1 April 2015, having examined the evidence, Interpol invalidated the international arrest warrant against D.S. Kuzmin and deleted the red notice for his arrest from its database.