Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Governor of the Leningrad Region Valery Serdyukov and President of Buryatia Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn, RIA Novosti reports.
Serdyukov said on Twitter earlier that he had written a resignation note. He has been governing the region since 1998. His terms of office exporte on July 9. Vice-Governor Alexander Drozdenko was introduced as a candidate to replace Serdyukov.
Nagovitsyn has been governing Buryatia since July 10, 2007. His terms of office expire on July 10, 2012. Medvedev introduced him for re-election on May 5. Elections were set for May 12.
The law on governor elections comes into force on June 1, 2012. The first governor elections will be held on the second Sunday of October 2012.
