Mintimer Shaimiev: voice of regions to be heard

Accepting these or other legislative proposals, preparing them and discussing, the party should take into account the opinion of regional branches, otherwise it will be united by its form, but not by spirit, the Co-Chairman of the Higher Council of the United Russia party, President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev declared at the seventh special conference of the Tatarstan regional branch of the party, on November 13th.

What comes from the regions should be thourougly studied in the leading party bodies. We have to find strength and opportunity to look from the critical point of view at many things, Mintimer Shaimiev emphasized. If in conditions of the multiparty system the ideological unity will not be provided, the party can not be perceived by the majority of the population as the most authoritative, to what it today aspires.

He said that today the party lacks responsibility. Having formed the Duma majority, we should learn to stand up for our positions in the State Duma. It is necessary to aspire to forming our own government, and it is necessary already today to learn how to bear responsibility, Mintimer Shaimiev said.

Speaking about recent initiatives of the President of the Russian Federation directed to strengthening of the power vertical, Mintimer Shaimiev reminded, that he was one of the first who supported Vladimir Putin's motion. The power vertical is necessary, take the one in Tatarstan for instance, he believes. He also repeated that the dismissal of the legislative assembly contradicts the Russian Constitution.

There are some positions the Tatarstan regional branch of the United Russia party would never retreat from, Mintimer Shaimiev declared. It concerns questions of federalism, national policy of the country which is to be carried out at the highest level. In the charter and the programme of our party we talk about a democratic and federative state, President reminded. He went on to say, Russia should not miss an opportunity to become a federative state. He expressed hope that the forthcoming congress will make the party more rallied and uniform in opinions.