Sergei Furgal


Sergei Ivanovich Furgal is a Russian politician who served as Governor of Khabarovsk Krai from 28 September 2018 until 20 July 2020 following his arrest.
Furgal was also a member of the State Duma from 2007 to 2018. He is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Biography

In 2008, Furgal was awarded the Honorary Diploma of the Chairman of the State Duma for his contributions to the development of legislation and parliamentarism in Russia.
In the 6th State Duma, he held the position of chairman of the committee on health protection from October 2015 to October 2016. From 2005 to 2007, he was a deputy of the Legislative Duma of the Khabarovsk Krai on a temporary basis. He holds a master's degree in Economics from the Russian Academy of Public Service, and a bachelor's degree in the medical field from Amur State Medical Academy.

Governorship

Election

When Furgal announced his candidacy in the 2018 gubernatorial election, he was widely seen as having little chance of victory, as incumbent Vyacheslav Shport was expected to win. In the first round, however, Furgal gained a surprise 35.81%, whilst Shport gained 35.62%. In the second round, Furgal was elected Governor of Khabarovsk Krai in a landslide, gaining 69.57%. His win was largely attributed to anti-establishment sentiment shared on both the left and right of the political spectrums.
Furgal took office on 28 September 2018. Since then, his party has won a number of statewide and local elections. With the LDPR gaining a majority in the Legislative Duma of the Khabarovsk Territory, the City Duma of Khabarovsk, the City Duma of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and two seats in the State Duma in 2019.

Arrest

On 9 July 2020, Furgal was arrested by authorities on charges of involvement in multiple murders of several businessmen in the region and nearby territories in 2004 and 2005. Furgal could face life in prison if convicted.
Protests in support of Furgal began after his arrest. On 11 July, tens of thousands of people were estimated to have taken part in the protests in Khabarovsk against Furgal's arrest with slogans against President Putin, alleging the timing of the arrest was politically motivated - Furgal won by a landslide against the Kremlin's candidate in Khabarovsk Krai's gubernatorial election in 2018. While the rally was unauthorised, no arrests were made and police did not intervene.
Subsequently Furgal has been replaced by Mikhail Degtyarev starting July 20.

Family

Furgal is the youngest of 10 children in his family. One of his brothers, Vyacheslav, a member of Khabarovsk regional parliament, died of COVID-19 on 13 June 2020. Furgal is married and has 3 children. His son, Anton, is also a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.