Russia can’t afford to be weak

One of the central issues to be solved in connection with restructuring the system of election of heads of the subjects of the Russian Federation, which was announced at the enlarged meeting of the Government by RF President Vladimir Putin on September 13, will be to increase the role and responsibility of regional heads. Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev expressed this viewpoint in an interview in Kazan International airport on his arrival from Moscow, where he took part in the meeting of the RF Government.

The country has been thrown a challenge. And in the situation changed so rapidly there is a necessity to consolidate the state, provide its overall security, improve its party building, strengthen the economy. In a word, the case in point is the consolidation of the Russian Federation in all aspects, the Tatarstan President marked commenting on his participation in the meeting.

As for the change of the form of election of heads of the regions, it is first of all caused by the fact that in many regions today little known people, endorsed by money capital, come to power. It is certainly not a point in Tatarstan, but if we look at Russia as a whole, at regions and republics, this problem is acute, the President of the republic said. The changes will refer to the RF Constitution, as well as local legislature, for example the RT Law “On elections of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan”.

The problem, on which Mintimer Shaimiev focused in his speech at the meeting of the RF Government, is a number of legislative acts, that appeared not so long ago and which are directed to weakening of the role of the regional heads. Mintimer Shaimiev is convinced that there is no doubt that there will not be casual people in the authorities, but therefore it is necessary to increase their roles, responsibility. And this was heard: in the concluding remarks the President of Russia marked that forms of cooperation of federal and regional authorities have to be improved.

Summing up what was said, the head of the republic emphasised that the Russian Federation needs to be consolidated in all possible ways – “Russia can’t afford to be weak, they will beat those who are weak”. We have no other way.