Kremlin’s political protege Valentina Matviyenko was easily elected the Speaker of the Federation Council, or the Russian Senate, thus becoming the first woman to hold the third highest office in the nation’s political power hierarchy.
“For me, this appointment is a combination of new emotions, drive and energizer,” Matviyenko, who till the recent job was the governor of St. Petersburg, the country’s second largest city, said after her inauguration as the new Senate leader.
In her inauguration speech, Mativiyenko promised a series of future reforms such as returning to election of senators and other measures, including fighting rampant truancy. The reforms are aimed at increasing the political clout of the Senate mostly seen as a ‘political sanctuary’ for retired elder statesmen loyal to the Kremlin.
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