Sholban Kuzhuget is chosen by the Senator from Tuva
The head of the territorial fund of compulsory medical insurance (TFOMS) Sholban Kuzhuget was elected senator from the Supreme Khural (Parliament) of Tuva. Earlier, the former First Deputy Minister of Defense Ruslan Tsalikov was considered the main candidate for this post, however, after the elections in September 2024, his appointment did not take place. As a result, the search for the new representative of the legislative power of the republic in the Federation Council dragged on for nine months. According to Mr. Tsalikov himself, after long consultations with the participation of the presidential administration, it was decided to give preference to a deputy inextricably linked with the region.
The question of the appointment of a new senator in the agenda of the next meeting of the Tuvan parliament did not stand on May 21. Before the event, he was made by the speaker of Kan-ool Davaa, who immediately gave the floor to Ruslan Tsalikov.
For almost two decades, Mr. Tsalikov worked as deputy native of Tuva Sergey Shoigu in the departments he headed: first in the Ministry of Emergencies, then in the government of the Moscow region, and since 2012-to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. On June 17, 2024, he was dismissed from the post of First Deputy Minister of Defense and was included in the list of United Russia in the elections to the Supreme Khural. According to Kommersant sources, Mr. Tsalikov was considered as the main candidate for the position of representative of the legislative power of the republic in the Federation Council (see “Kommersant” dated July 8, 2024). However, after the elections in which the former deputy minister elected to Khural (according to the law, only the current deputy could become a senator from the parliament), there was no appointment.
Moreover, Khural literally self -destroyed the question of delegating his representative to the upper house.
According to the law, from the moment of the formation of a new convocation, the regional parliament must choose a senator within a month, but this did not happen until the end of October or until the end of 2024. Former Senator Dina Oyun continued to sit in the Federation Council, although formally her powers were already expired: she did not re -elect into Khural. Mrs. Oyun resigned only in March 2025, heading the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Buenos Aires.
“At the end of March, we began to look for a decision,” Ruslan Tsalikov said at a meeting on May 21, not explaining what caused such a long hitch. “And here I, as one of the initiators, with the head (republic. « Kommersant ») and the relevant structures of the administration (president. – « Kommersant ») They made such a decision: to offer Khural to consider the candidacy of the person who has grown here. We should still have the connection of the Earth with the capital. ” At the same time, the former deputy minister of defense added that six months ago he did not think so, but changed his mind, getting acquainted with the work of colleagues in Khural.
After that, Mr. Tsalikov proposed to send to the upper house the head of the United Russia faction and the head of the Republican TFOMS of Sholban Kuzhuget.
According to the former, this candidacy was approved by the Presidential Administration and the leadership of the Federation Council. The Communist Party of the Communist Party proposed to elect the Kular Lada-Damba by the senator, however, 28 out of 31 deputies voted for Mr. Kuzhuget.
“There are two words that are very serious, capacious. In my opinion, « trust » and « support » are called. Trust and support of the leadership of the republic, voters, colleagues-deputies. This is primarily a great responsibility and a great honor. Wherever I work, I will try to justify your trust and support, ”said Sholban Kuzhuget after the election.
The new Tuvin senator is 38 years old. He is a native of the city of Chadan (from the same birth and Sergey Shoigu). In 2011, he graduated from the Kemerovo State Medical Academy, in 2013–2023 he worked in the Republican Hospital No. 1, where he went from a surgeon to the head physician, especially showing himself during the pandemic Covid-19. Since 2023, he heads the Republican MHIF. The parliamentary career of Mr. Kuzhgeta turned out to be swift: in 2022 he was elected to the City Council of Kyzyl, and already in 2024-to the Supreme Khural of Tuva, where he headed the United Russia fraction.
