by Musa Musayev, Makhachkala. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
Reshuffles in the Dagestani government have always caused redistribution of clan spheres of influence with no progress in the inefficient administrative system. An information war has started: flows of collective complaints to Moscow, release of mudslinging materials on the internet.
Different groups complain about the government to the Russian president. Partisan bloggers and journalists support certain people striving for power in the republic. There have been many rumours about the resignation of the Dagestani leader before or after the Sochi Olympic Games.
In early 2014, social networks were given information that the Russian president will propose Ilyas Umakhanov, Dagestani senator and Vice Speaker of the Federation Council, as the republic's leader. Mudslinging against Umakhanov appeared in the mass media soon after. Newspapers wrote that his relatives were allegedly controlling Dagestan's largest bank Express. Its licence was nullified in January 2013 for cashing illegal funds. Staff of the bank had been suspected of making fake accounts before it lost the license and had been accused of receiving cash from the Deposit Insurance Agency. Umakhanov asked the MK paper to write a refutation in its regional paper.
Alexander Khloponin, Russian Plenipotentiary Presidential Envoy to the NCFD, has recently cast doubts on Abdulatipov's idea to form territorial institutions of plenipotentiary envoys. It seems odd that the idea to form the Centralny, Gorny, Severny and Yuzhny districts where Abdulatipov would appoint envoys was announced in late 2013, while Khloponin's reaction appeared only three months later.
Ramazan Abdulatipov himself commented on his resignation rumours before the Olympics: "Concerning the rumours, I can say that the people spreading them have not clarified which games exactly - the 22nd or 24th Olympic Games. None of us knows how much time we were given and speculation about it is useless. I am worried about a different problem. How long will we keep Dagestan in the positive vector of development? I did not ask to be the head of the republic, I was asked to be and told that I need to work. The parliament approved it and I work. I will work as long as I can be of use to Dagestan. I want to say: the more such questions are asked and the more rumours there are, the longer I will work for Dagestan."
