Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia's leading independent media outlets, has announced the appointment of Sergei Kozheurov, the respected Russian newspaper's longtime general director, as its new editor in chief.
It is Kozheurov's second time to serve in the post. The majority of the editorial staff chose him in a vote on November 17 under an election procedure prescribed in the charter of the editorial board, which is held every two years, the newspaper said.
Also contending for the post was economics and politics editor Kirill Martynov and chief editor Aleksei Polukhin. Kozheurov won with 92 editorial board votes.
The previous editor in chief, Dmitry Muratov, who headed the newspaper for 22 years, said that he would not run again.
Muratov told the Russian news agency Interfax that his reason for resigning was the need for a change in leadership. He continues to work for the newspaper as chairman of the board of directors and editorial board.
"I was the first editor of Novaya Gazeta. And my task is not to be the last," Kozheurov, 64, said after the results were announced.
Kozheurov, with the newspaper since its founding in 1993, was editor in chief until 1995 and served as a columnist and member of the editorial board for five years after that. He has been general director since 2000.
Prior to joining Novaya Gazeta, Kozheurov worked for the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, where he was deputy editor in chief until 1992. He became one of the founders of Novaya after leaving the publication, together with Muratov, Pavel Voshchanov, Akram Murtazayev, Dmitry Sabov, and other journalists.
