Analysts have assessed the candidates for the post of head and prime minister of Dagestan.

Magomed Ramazanov, who has been proposed to head the republic's government, will assume a leading role in the tandem with Fyodor Shchukin as head of Dagestan, journalists and a political scientist believe.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, at a meeting with Putin on April 30, Fyodor Shchukin, head of the Republic's Supreme Court, was proposed for the post of head of Dagestan, and Magomed Ramazanov, plenipotentiary representative to the North Caucasus Federal District, was proposed for the post of head of government. Sergei Melikov will serve in these positions until the president issues a decree on his resignation; According to Putin, he is finishing his work in the republic and is moving on to another job.

Fyodor Shchukin and Magomed Ramazanov are relatively new to Dagestan, and the decision to appoint them to the two top posts in the republic seems quite atypical, says political scientist Albert Esedov.

"It's clear that the head of the republic's term ends in September; he himself spoke about this at a recent meeting with journalists. The proposed candidates, Shchukin and Ramazanov, are truly new candidates who lack so-called clans or special connections within the republic. In this regard, it's entirely possible that we'll end up with a government similar to the one under (Vladimir) Vasilyev, except that in the current configuration, Senator Suleiman Kerimov's team is being strengthened," Esedov told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The Telegram channel "What's Up with the Dagestanis?" published a list of those invited to the Kremlin for a meeting with the Russian president. Among them was State Duma deputy Khizri Abakarov, who, according to Esedov, is close to Kerimov.

Both Shchukin and Ramazanov are close to Suleiman Kerimov and are also capable of pursuing policies that are more understandable and desirable to their patrons, said a Dagestani journalist who wished to remain anonymous.

“It is known that Melikov and Kerimov had a conflict, albeit not a strong one: Melikov wanted to be independent in terms of implementing the republic’s policies, while Kerimov’s team wanted more active steps from the Dagestani leadership to protect their business interests. Ramazanov is perceived as the person appointed by Putin to lead Dagestan. The appointment of a representative of an indigenous nationality, in this case an Avar, to the republic’s leadership could spark further discussions about the need for ethnic quotas, something the Kremlin wants to avoid. Therefore, Ramazanov is being proposed for the position of prime minister, and Fyodor Shchukin as head of the republic,” the journalist told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

He added that Shchukin, as Chairman of the Supreme Court of Dagestan, has made the work of the judicial community more transparent and, on the one hand, more manageable. In particular, this is reflected in the republic's judicial system being filled with Shchukin's people from the Novgorod region.

"Shchukin, it seems, is a formal figure. Ramazanov is a strong prime minister. Shchukin knows how to manage large teams, but in this tandem, he will be a subordinate. Previously, they tried to select leaders from the dominant nationalities in Dagestan, with the exception of Vasiliev," the journalist believes.

Fyodor Shchukin as the head of Dagestan is a necessary step, since the appointment of Magomed Ramazanov as head would entail "unnecessary changes" due to the republic's national quota system, and the Kremlin "clearly doesn't want such changes," according to the Dagestani publication "Chernovik".

“This is likely where the decision was born: since Ramazanov, having become head, could bring about unnecessary changes in the republic, then let him de jure occupy the second position, but, de facto, be a strong local prime minister. And de jure, the first position will belong to Shchukin, who doesn’t particularly aspire to anything more. In this scheme, not only the individuals in the leading roles, but also their teams will matter. And here, we believe, State Duma deputy Khizri Abakarov, who sits next to Vladimir Putin, will (possibly) be the very ‘personnel center’ that will determine the future of Dagestan,” the Chernovik Telegram channel stated.

In the past, Dagestan had a special electoral system – national-territorial districts, quotas for seats in parliament. Avars traditionally received the post of president, Dargins - the speaker of parliament, and the prime minister was a Kumyk, Mukhu Aliyev, then the head of Dagestan, said in an interview with the "Caucasian Knot" in April 2009. In 2006, the federal center brought the republic's electoral system into line with the all-Russian one. National balance was also maintained in the republic's government. In February 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin specifically emphasized that the team assembled by Ramazan Abdulatipov must be balanced in all respects, including ethnicity.