TATARSTAN PRESIDENT OPENLY OPPOSES PRESIDENT PUTIN'S REFORM

MOSCOW, October 26 (RIA Novosti) - Yesterday, the parliament of Tatarstan, one of Russia's largest national republics, labeled the reform initiated by Vladimir Putin as anti-democratic and anti-constitutional, and the attempt to push it through the State Duma as "a state coup", Kommersant reports. The republic's president Mintimer Shaimiyev supported the legislature and said that Tatarstan would make a number of demands before the second reading of the corresponding bill in the State Duma. The first would be eliminating the clause that allows the Russian president to dissolve local legislatures if they reject his candidates two times.

Mr. Shaimiyev became the first regional leader to openly oppose the president's reform to abolish gubernatorial elections.

According to Mr. Shaimiyev, democratic principles can only be preserved if regional heads are elected by a regional parliament, not "given powers." At the same time, "it does not matter how deputies are elected, by party lists or some other way, but they are elected by the people, and we must not agree in any way or under any conditions to the dissolution of our parliament," he emphasized. Simultaneously, the Tartar deputies want to suggest a statute of limitations for the law, which, they believe, should be canceled immediately after Putin's presidential term.

The presidential administration cannot ignore the opinion of one of the most influential regional leaders, because it threatens to split United Russia, as Mr. Shaimiyev is co-chairman of the Supreme Council. Other governors that are party members may follow suit and speak against Mr. Putin's initiatives. On the other hand, Mr. Shaimiyev's amendments to the project will put the reform under a question mark, as there is a risk that unmanageable parliaments will emerge as a result.