Artur Dan: RusAl thirsts for power

After its victory in Legislative Assembly election in Krasnoyarsk region, RusAl company showed who was the real master of the region. But Krasnoyarsk region is not the only one, where RusAl company aspires for power. In the Irkutsk region, RusAl owners Roman Abramovich and Oleg Deripaska started with Bratsk Aluminium Works. Afterwards, with the help of Boris Govorin (to whom they helped to remain in the governonr’s chair), they captured the Irkutskenergo stock company, Ust-Ilimsk Wood Industrial Complex, Bratsk Wood Industrial Complex and decided to appropriate the Legislative Assembly. Now, there are rumours in the Irkutsk region that RusAl is preparing to dispose the local parliament’s speaker, Viktor Borovski, who has been fighting for the energy system’s independence and achieved it, while Boris Govorin gave it up to RusAl and SUAl companies. Such a present for a grandmother’s birthday.

As the grandmother, young oligarch Deripaska appears, who at the beginning of 1990s, was wearing a shabby sweater and actively buying expensive stocks of Sayanogorsk Aluminium Work. In a month, he became the work’s general director. Afterwards, a big aluminium war started, as a result of which RusAl turned into a kind of aluminium ministry establishing its own rules. According to Kto Yest Kto magazine, Oleg Deripaska is now one of oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin. "New-democracy" oligarchs are not overburdened with moral questions, and they quietly step over people, works, and authorities to obtain what they want.

In December, a plenipotentiary of the “metal kingdom,” Yevgeni Ivanov, held confidential meetings in Irkutsk devoted to the dismissal of Viktor Borovski. One of these meetings’ participants was vice-speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Gennadi Istomin. The question was about staff changes in the regional parliament. Last week, Gennadi Istomin visited Moscow. The mass media reported that he had been to the Finance Ministry to “obtain” money, while ,really, he met with RusAl officials. The question was again about Voktor Borovski’s dismissal. A supporter of Viktor Borovski’s s was offered the post of the Legislative Assembly’s chairman, and Gennadi Istomin agreed with this proposition. Boris Govorin also has nothing against it. It is clear that the “brave guys” brought up by the aluminium war hardly will be delicate towards their opponents already sentenced by them to defeat. However, there is one thing RusAl officials do not take into account. For about one and a half years, Gennadi Istomin has been belonged to the opposition to the governor, who, as is well known, does not forget anything and does not forgive his political opponents. Within the whole of last last year, G.Istomin was a member of the team fighting with the oligarchs for regional citizen’s interests. Gennadi Istomin has always declared his devotion to this team’s interests. Of course, to get rid of Viktor Borovski, the governor and the aluminium magnates supporting him could declare they are ready to go to a compromise, though people who really know Boris Govorin would never believe it.

Moreover, if Gennadi Istomin loses this fight, his friends and supporters will turn their back on him, while his enemies will never support him. Who needs a person leaping from one team into another? And besides, too many voters trusted him and his team. The results of the election in Irkuts, which Boris Govorin lost, is evidence of it. After having lifted his arm against Viktor Borovski, Gennadi Istomin crosses out his political future. The scheme is simple. Viktor Borovski will be removed; Gennadi Istomin will be elected; then, in five or six months, he will be deprived of his deputy mandate and another candidate could be elected.

Today, it is time for Gennadi Istomin to ask for entrance into the Business Union group, because the People’s Deputy group is closed for him.

Artur Dan PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/12/25/35096.html]