Titov, Konstantin Alekseyevich

(1944– )

   Politician. Appointed by Boris Yeltsin in 1991, Titov, a centrist reformer, served as head of the Samara Oblast’s regional administration in the immediate post-Soviet period. He was popularly elected to the post of governor in 1996. During the late 1990s, he attracted significant foreign investment to the region and dismantled certain aspects of Soviet-era social programs. Titov was reelected in 2000, after briefly resigning, and was reappointed by Vladimir Putin in 2005; he joined the pro-Kremlin United Russia party the same year. A former leader in Our Home—Russia, Titov left the party over the selection of Viktor Chernomyrdin as its presidential candidate in 2000. In 1999, he formed Russia’s Voice (Golos Rossii) to give more voice to the regions; he was also associated with the Union of Right Forces and Mikhail Gorbachev’s recently formed Social Democratic Party of Russia. In 2000, he stood in Russia’s presidential election, winning over a million votes.