MOSCOW, August 10 (Itar-Tass) — Minister of Interior Policy in the Ulyanovsk Region Dmitry Travkin was elected as new head of the United Russia Central Executive Committee on Friday. He was elected at this post in a secret ballot at a meeting of the United Russia General Council Presidium.
The election was preceded by the contest to select candidates for head of the United Russia Executive Committee, the idea of which was put forward by the party leader, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The contest, which began on July 16, passed in two stages. After the runoff five candidates vied for the new post, their candidacies were submitted for consideration of the United Russia General Council Presidium. All five contenders were participating in a meeting with Dmitry Medvedev on Friday.
Dmitry Travkin was elected at the new party post just ahead of his birthday, he will turn 42 years on August 12. He is an Ulyanovsk resident, he graduated from the Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University, worked as history teacher for five years and became the Teacher of the Year prize winner in 1994. In 1997-2002 Travkin headed the department for youth affairs, then the committee for youth affairs in the Ulyanovsk Mayor’s Office.
In 2003 he graduated with excellence from the Russian Presidential Public Service Academy with the higher educational certificate of manager of state and municipal management. In 2002-2006 and 2008-2011 he headed the executive committee of the Ulyanovsk regional office of the United Russia Party. During his career he worked as the regional deputy minister of regional policy and in the staff of the Russian presidential plenipotentiary representative in the Volga Federal District. In May 2012 Dmitry Travkin was appointed as the minister of interior policy in the Ulyanovsk Region. There is a special award among the medals and citations for service and party activities. In 1995 the Travkin spouses, who raises two sons, won the contest “Family of the Year in the Ulyanovsk Region”.
The election program, with which Travkin was running in the elections, focused on a broad use of the regional experience of the party and building up efficient communications. He believes that “more independence should be given to fill with the content the activities of our regional and local party offices,” “democraticise and develop the activities of basic party offices.” “In general, I would like the CEC abbreviation would also mean “the centre of innovations and communications”. I hope that it can become the original style of the United Russia Central Executive Committee,” Travkin noted.
He believes that at the new post he will need “the skills to analyse quickly and qualitatively the changing situation, seek adequate responses to those challenges, which fill up the political life of the country and each concrete region.” Travkin intends to establish substantial relations with the regions as the first step at the new post. “The head of the United Russia Central Executive Committee should hope for the support of regions and local party offices. All problems, which exist, should be discussed jointly, so that the decisions taken would be clear for all,” he underlined.