Putin accepts Moscow mayor's resignation

President Vladimir Putin had agreed to accept the resignation of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, the Kremlin press service said Wednesday. Sobyanin applied to resign early in order to become eligible for the mayoral elections, possibly due on Sept. 8. This is the first time since 2003 the mayor of the Russian capital will be elected by popular vote instead of being appointed by the president. "Your work has been generally successful, so I ask you to continue that work," Putin told Sobyanin during their meeting. Putin added he would sign a decree to appoint Sobyanin the acting mayor until election day. "Social order in Moscow must be secured. I hope you will cope with that," Putin said. Sobyanin, a member of ruling United Russia Party, was appointed mayor in 2010 by then-President Dmitry Medvedev, and his term was due to end in 2015.