"We had a meeting of the republic's State Council the other day, where the deputies said the legislative assembly must not be disbanded. It is the opinion of our State Council, and I think this view should be respected," Mr. Shaimiyev said at a meeting in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, as he commented on the proposals by the Russian President on changing the order of electing governors.
The President of Tatarstan is in Astana on a working visit. He said he supported the initiatives on strengthening the vertical of power in the country.
"I was among the first to support this idea. If we want to be among civilized democratic states, this cannot be achieved unless we have corresponding effective vertical bodies of power," he said.
Mr. Shaimiyev spoke in favor of using the experience of Tatarstan in the whole of Russia.
"In Russia a power vertical should be used, which was practiced in Tatarstan all these years. The results of Tatarstan's development show that it was useful for the transition period," he said.
