Russia lose Alexander Sergeev as President of the Russian Academy of Sciences

THE current president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexander Sergeev, has withdrawn his candidacy for the election of the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as reported on Monday, September 19.

Alexander Sergeev said he was forced to take such a decision by “the events of recent days,” as reported by the Russian state media outlet RIA.

“This is a forced decision,” Sergeev said on Monday, September 19, at a general meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which has to choose the president of the Academy of Sciences.

Sergeev, who was elected head of the Russian Academy of Sciences in September 2017, said that academy members have faced pressure during the current election campaign. Although, he did not specify what pressures.

According to sources for RIA, Sergeev had planned to run until the last minute, giving interviews and visiting Academy departments. The withdrawal only became known in the afternoon of Sunday, September 18.

On Friday, September 16, Russia also lost Boris Titov as the country’s business ombudsman.

Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights Boris Titov confirmed to Interfax that he had resigned and would not run for a third term.

“The powers have ended. Today, the baton must be picked up by others. Who is the next ombudsman? The answer to this question is the absolute prerogative of the president,” Titov said, answering a question from Interfax.

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