As wildfires around Moscow dwindle down, many continue asking why the wildfire catastrophe in Russia was allowed to escalate to such a high level. In a Moscow Times opinion piece, Yevgenia Albats argues that part of the problem is that local governors are appointed rather than elected and thus lack a sense of responsibility to the people living in their region. Albats points to Moscow’s mayor, Yury Luzhkov, who was famously on vacation for during a good part of the disaster, as a prime example of this lack of accountability. Evidently, his absence from the office while the city burned didn’t put his job in jeopardy in any way.

What would have happened if Luzhkov served in a country that had popular elections for governors? If Luzhkov knew that he would soon be facing re-election — his term expires in October 2011 — would he have allowed himself a vacation while Moscow was being ravaged by heat and toxic smog? Of course not. But neither Luzhkov nor whoever may replace him must worry about voter approval since the Kremlin appoints governors. (Although Luzhkov’s official title is mayor, the city of Moscow, along with St. Petersburg, is designated in the Constitution as a “federal jurisdiction,” and thus Luzhkov was appointed by the federal government on the same terms and conditions as the country’s governors.)