Election campaign in Yakutia: Our last and decisive battle. Do today’s authorities prepare the USSR’s fate for Russia?

Pre-election process in Yakutia is at its height. Everything is involved: local election commission, Central Election Commission, Supreme Court of Yakutia, Russian Public Prosecutor General’s Office. Now it is turn of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. Though, thing are right where they started. Yakut President Mikhail Nikolaev still remains a registered candidate. In fact, the question is even not about keeping Russian Constitution. There is a battle between local authorities and the federal ones. About final stage of this battle. The story started long ago. In president Yeltsin’s times. Namely at that time, one could take as much of sovereignty as he wished, so regional authorities became sometimes even more important, than the central authorities. While this last ones completely neglected this fact. Putin’s reforms did not change anything. Laws, passed by the State Duma and the Council of Federation with such troubles, turned out to be just empty phrases. Next act of this tragedy titled “Power Crisis in Russia” could be observed at recent election in Siberian Federal District, in Irkutsk region. Here, the working governor seems to have violated election process in all possible ways – from using administrative resource to publishing false voting papers. His election commission was caught spreading an illegal propaganda newspaper. Heaps of the paper were found just in the commission. In the region, a real war arouse between the Internal Affairs Office, which found the paper, and the Regional Anti-criminal Office, which arrived to defend the commission's workers. The paper was not seized. Before the very election, it was put into voters’ post-boxes. What was Central Election Committee doing? It was keeping silent. What to say, if before the very election, a great action was organized: control over the second biggest Russian company “Irkutskenergo” was handed over to “RusAl” company, against all the laws and with full support of the regional administration. Yes, the Russian President wrote letters: “Secure interests of the State in the region, please!” Yes, the State Duma’s deputies were crying: “It is unlawful!” But: while offices right letters, local authorities act. Today, in Irkutsk region the governor and aluminium patrons reign. From demonstrative non-invitation of mass media representatives (they seem to have had an opposing position, the reason was formed) to practically full controlling by aluminium patrons productive capacities in the region – that is their field. Fuel and energy complex is under control, now the big and rich region is being turned into a corporation. In his time, Kirsan Ilumzhinov had such idea, but he did not have enough authority. While “RusAl” has. The same could take place in Yakutia. It is a very rich region, known with its diamond workings. And it does not matter, that the president takes up his post already for two terms and intends to stand for the third one, in spite of Constitution of RF. It is clear, that the local election committee, which registers such a candidate is under pressure of the administration. And it is obvious, that the Supreme Court, which took a decision about stopping the process of registration’s cancellation, did it against legislation. So, what does it signify? What actually the Central Election Commission could undertake? As a rule, it does not intervenes. And what about federal authorities? For all that, they will not send troops there. Probably one more Putin’s letter about state interests will appear. Though, if earlier it could be neglected, so today, the same should be expected…

Yesterday, Russian Central Election Committee received a decision of Yakut Supreme Court, which had stopped the process of considering blames against Mikhail Nikolaev’s registration as a candidate to president of Yakutia. According to Central Election Committee spokesman, the committee addressed to Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, asking to include the protest in Yakut Supreme Court’s decision from October 31, 2001, in part stopping of considering appropriate blames of citizens. In the letter signed by Central Election Commission’s chairman Alexandr Veshnyakov, there is also a requests to the Public Prosecutor General’s Office to address to the Supreme Court of the country asking it to consider these blames to the point. Central Election Commission’s press-service reported to control preparations for Yakut president’s election, yesterday, a working group of Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation departed for the republic, headed by the commission’s member Yevgeni Ischenko. In Irkutsk region a Central Election Commission’s working group had worked as well. Which announced as a result of the election: “There were not any violations.” The election’s results were considered by the Supreme Court. And they are being still considered. The federal centre is losing its control over regions. While this control immediately passes to local patrons. Of course, Vladimir Putin is on friendly terms with Bush and Blair. He carries out serious negotiations about non-expansion of NATO and about the anti-terrorist operation. He is practically a western idol, reformer president. The USSR also had its reformer president, who was on friendly terms with Bush Sr. and Margaret Tatcher. And so the USSR’s history finished. Now, regions of the great country started to feel too independent…

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/11/01/33332.html