Mintimer Shaimiev: “Past elections’ results excelled my most optimistic forecasts”

October 17, RT President Mintimer Shaimiev commented out preliminary results of the municipal elections that were held on the eve, at press-conference at IA “Interfax-Povolzhie”.

October 16, local self-government elections were held for first time in Tatarstan, which gave an opportunity to the deputies of all the levels: regions, cities and settlements to shape full-fledged bodies of people power, the Head of the Republic noted. “There was a time we were criticised for being slow, that Tatarstan performs certain political conservatism. Then I said that the time had not come yet, one needs to mature, - shared his thoughts RT President. – That was the time, when political reform was jumping over the economical one. Now a new law on local self-government was adopted, and surprisingly, many regions who attempted to implement local self-government appeared to be not ready to the full to transfer to the municipal system”.

The past elections’ results, according to Mintimer Shaimiev, excelled his most optimistic forecasts. “We managed from the first go to elect such a number of deputies to shape 956 municipal bodies”.

By the words of RT President, around 62.2% of citizens of Tatarstan came to polling stations, about 50% in cities. The highest turnout was noticed in Alabuga (85.6%), Bugulma (over 80%) and Nizhnekamsk (over 71%). Turnout in Kazan made 39.9% and about 40.2% in N.Chelny.

Deputies of “The United Russia” managed to get 57% of seats in the representative municipal bodies, and along with their associates from republican movement “Tatarstan-new century” they obtained around 6000 deputy mandates, i.e. 73%.