Khizri Shikhsaidov approved as Speaker of Dagestani Parliament

Today, Makhachkala hosted an extraordinary session of the People's Assembly of Dagestan. Magomedsultan Magomedov, the Speaker of the Parliament, was dismissed from his post; and instead the parliamentarians have unanimously elected the former MP of the Russian State Duma Khizri Shikhsaidov.

"The 23^rd Conference of the Dagestani regional branch of the 'Edinaya Rossiya' (United Russia) Party has offered Shikhsaidov for the post of the Speaker of the National Parliament. Shikhsaidov's candidacy was approved by the acting president of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov and the General Council of the 'Edinaya Rossiya'," said the Deputy Marina Abramkina.

In a secret ballot, 83 votes out of 83 MPs were cast for Shikhsaidov, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Khizri Shikhsaidov, who is now 66, in 1995 was appointed the Chairman of the Dagestani Audit Chamber. From August 1997 to October 2004 he was the Prime Minister and first deputy chairman of the State Council of Dagestan. On December 2, 2007, he elected to the Russian State Duma of the 5^th convocation and a member of the State Duma Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations. Since December 21, 2011, he was an MP of the State Duma of Russia.