Abdulatipov's statement of distrust to Suleimanov was made amid preparations for elections in Makhachkala

The conflict of Magomed Suleimanov, the acting head of the administration of Makhachkala, with Khizri Shikhsaidov, the speaker of the Dagestani parliament, around lists of candidates for deputies of district assemblies of Makhachkala was preceded by Abdulatipov's statement of distrust to Suleimanov. Local observers say that these two events are interconnected.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 25 the head of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov said that Magomed Suleimanov lost the confidence of the republic's leadership and should leave the post of the acting Mayor of Makhachkala. Abdulatipov offered the deputies to postpone the deprivation of Suleimanov of his deputy powers until September, when it is planned to hold the elections of the Mayor of Makhachkala.

The Abdulatipov's statement of distrust to Suleimanov has added intrigue to the upcoming June 25 elections in Makhachkala, as local observers were convinced that Suleimanov would take the post of Mayor, said Albert Esedov, the leader of the "Sadval" movement. According to his story, the Abdulatipov's statement came after a conflict of Suleimanov with Khizri Shikhsaidov because of the lists of candidates for deputies of district assemblies of Makhachkala.

"Suleimanov noted that Shikhsaidov's son sits as the head of the Buynaksk District (Daniyal Shikhsaidov heads the Buynaksk District since 2011, – note of the "Caucasian Knot"), and why he cannot," said a source from the city administration.

Magomed Magomedov, a special correspondent of the "Chernovik" weekly, thinks that possible Suleimanov's successors may be Abusupyan Gasanov, the first deputy head of the administration of Makhachkala, or Musa Musaev, the Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Dagestan.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.