[ALERT]: A Political Shakeup in Buryatia
The Republic's Leader Has Dissolved the Region's Government
Good evening -
I wanted to get this story on your radar, as I suspect it will get buried in the media cycle over the next couple of days when opposition politico Alexey Navalny returns to Russia after almost five months in Germany (Navalny’s flight is scheduled to land tomorrow, January 17th, at 7:20PM Moscow time).
Alexey Tsydenov — the current Head of the Republic of Buryatia — dismissed the Republic’s ministers on January 15th, citing concerns with the government’s efficiency and general desires to re-structure the Republic’s Executive Branch. Buryatia’s current ministers will continue to work in an acting capacity until new appointees are selected and approved by the Republic’s legislature.
Tsydenov elaborated on his request for the government’s resignation by citing the necessity to streamline the Republic’s political functions as it faces lingering political and economic instability as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is particularly evident in a 2020 study performed by the Agency for Political and Economic Communications, which ranked Buryatia second to last within Russia’s Federal Subjects — 84th out of 85 — in terms of effectiveness in internal political and economic management.
This could mean that two new Deputy Prime Ministers, as well as Ministers for Economy and Finance will be voted in by the People’s Khural (the Republic’s legislature) at the end of the month. Reforms will also include the establishment of a Ministry for Industry and Investments, and an expansion of powers for the Ministry of Natural Resources.
While this move is controversial, it’s not entirely unconstitutional, as the Head of the Republic —the official title of Buryatia’s executive as of 2011 — is tasked with organizing the Republic’s government and managing its operations.
Rumors for new political appointees include ex-Yakutsk mayor Sardana Avksentieva, who on January 11th resigned from her post in Yakutia over health concerns. Avksentieva — who is not a member of Russia’s ruling United Russia (UR) Party — was incredibly popular in Yakutsk, particularly in her drive to tackle local corruption and expand opportunities for development across the City. Although there have been no official offers from Buryatia’s government, Avksentieva plans to visit the Republic following her recovery.
I mentioned in my newsletter from Thursday that 2021 will be a major year for Russian politics due to the coming elections for the State Duma next September. As such, these changes in Buryatia are likely a symptom of the UR Party’s efforts to bolster support across the country in anticipation of these coming elections.
Buryatia sends two deputies two the Federal Duma, and both face re-election in September. The current deputies — Aldar Damdinov and Nikolay Buduev —are both members of UR, as is the current Head of the Republic of Buryatia. The local government’s low success ratings, paired with recent high-profile failures — such as the failure to build new heating mains in Buryatia’s capital of Ulan-Ude —have caused a level of concern over UR’s reputation in the region, hence the rush to re-structure government in advance of next Fall’s elections.
It remains to be seen what exactly come of these plans for Buryatia, however, it may serve as a reference point for the coming year, particularly as 450 State Duma seats are up for grabs across Russia.