The head of the International Institute of Political Expertise, Yevgeni Minchenko, commented to VK on the project of resuming gubernatorial elections.
- How will the return to direct popular elections for governors affect the situation in the North Caucasus?
- I think this decision could pose a real problem for some regions. For example, in Chechnya only Ramzan Kadyrov has a real chance of being elected, as only he is a widely-known public figure. In Dagestan the head of the region has never been elected, and inter-ethnic and inter-clan tensions are extremely strong there (this is only natural, as Dagestan is home to a great number of ethnicities – not every country has as many ethnic groups as this subject of Russian Federation does). Up until the gubernatorial reform, certain quotas were allocated to all nationalities of Dagestan so they could participate in the republic’s government. After the reform, a single governor is appointed by the central government, which only made all the tensions worse. Terrorist activity on the territory of Dagestan spiked.
One should be extremely cautious in dealing with the North Caucasian politics, in order to avoid violent outbursts. Before introducing direct elections for governors there, one should ensure the true independence of the judicial and legislative authorities, as well as illuminate corruption within the law enforcement agencies.
- And how would the introduction of such elections affect other regions of Russia?
- I think the situation will be less tense there than in the NCFD, as there is no history of resolving all differences and problems by violence there. The past experience of gubernatorial elections also points to that.
- The usual objection to this project is that in the 90s, when the governors were elected, businessmen and criminal authorities could influence the outcome of the elections…
- Yet there’s not a single proven case of a criminal protégé being elected governor. We all remember the scandals surrounding governor Darkin, yet he was the first one to be re-appointed by the Kremlin to his position under the new law on governors' appointments. Some also say that it is possible that nationalists would win local elections – yet there are also no serious precedents of radical nationalists becoming governors in the 90s.
- How will the return to electing governors affect the PR-service market?
- It will certainly grow. But a large number of governors’ terms expired last year, so if the law is accepted, there won’t be a big wave of elections right away. And it is possible that before adopting the law the government will resort to a new rotation of governors to postpone the elections.
