MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Vassily Kononenko) --
Deputies of the State Duma resumed their work last week. Ostensibly 566 bills have been submitted for its consideration. However, a fierce struggle is expected to unfold around 50 major bills generated by the implementation of economic reform, such as the forest and water codes, and draft federal laws on mineral resources and on competition. Battle lines are being drawn and it is only natural considering that these bills deal with multi-billion ruble injections into the economy.
However, a draft budget for 2006, and most of all the related Investment Fund, will clearly become the number one document that will reveal all tactical maneuvers and ideological leanings of the Duma parties. This Fund should amass more than 100 billion rubles designed for the four national projects announced by President Vladimir Putin.
Tactics used by different party factions and groups of deputies have undergone a major change for the first time in many years. Opposition leaders - from Liberals to radicals - knew for certain what they had to criticize in order to raise their ratings. Traditionally, they lashed out against very modest spending on social projects but now they will have to change their tune after the President announced on the eve of the session his unexpected decision to dramatically increase the funding of medicine, education, sciences, and housing. This is what representatives of different parties told RIA Novosti.
Ilya Ponomaryov, candidate member of the Russian Communist Party Central Committee, a leader of its youth wing:
"It goes without saying that the Communist Party will support the President's socially-oriented initiatives when a draft budget for 2006 will be discussed. We cannot give up the demands for which we have always fought. But for the time being we have heard just promises, and don't know how much money the government is going to channel into these social spheres. Once definite sums are announced, the Communist Party will decide on its tactics. We are going to discuss this at a party congress slated for late October."
Apparently, United Russia will have the same agenda at their congress in November. They will decide how to exploit success generated by the social projects that they claim to have co-authored. At any rate, General Secretary Vyacheslav Volodin has already declared that these national projects are not a PR action by the President, contrary to the allegations of some political scientists and opposition leaders. He said that United Russia would guarantee redistribution of the budget in a way ensuring full funding for these priority programs.
Rodina, already divided, is going to launch an offensive on that issue as well. Dmitry Rogozin and his party colleagues will target their main strike toward budget expenditures. Faction representative Alexander Chuyev told Novosti, that a draft budget cannot cope with the tasks proclaimed by the President. "Take the salaries of doctors, for instance. The announced increase will only benefit about 60,000 medical workers out of more than 400,000!" said Chuyev. On September 16, Rodina will submit for a discussion a demographic bill envisaging a huge increase in childbirth allowances and other social benefits. In addition, they are going to criticize the government for ineffective spending, and artificial freezing of the Stabilization Fund at a time when the nation badly needed investment.
Some analysts believe that criticism may bring together the two warring Rodina factions of Rogozin and Baburin, the Communist Party, some representatives of the People's Party and liberal-minded members of United Russia. However, this time criticism should be handled in such a way as not to fall through the socially oriented budget. Otherwise, the opposition will have to face a powerful rebuff on the part of the millions of Russians who receive their paychecks from the budget.
