Moscow - Russian tycoon Roman Abromovich has agreed to run for a seat in regional legislative elections, a move likely to see him head the parliament in a remote Far Eastern region. The Chelsea football club owner bowed to regional officials' request that he stand for a seat after resigning as the governor of the Arctic Chukotka region, his spokesman John Mann said Thursday.
Local deputies say Abramovich's continued presence in regional politics would ensure the ongoing development of the region, Russian news agencies reported.
Elections are due in October in Chukotka, a swath of land opposite Alaska with a population of about 55,000.
The remote region revived under Abramovich's governorship not least because the London-based tycoon paid taxes of about 1 billion rubles (43 million dollars) directly to regional coffers.
Abramovich also ran a charity fund and has invested some 2 billion dollars in the region during his eight-year term, news agency RIA- Novosti reported.
