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Section: Policy
Positive result of referendum on
Integration of Irkutsk region and
Ust-Ordinskiy Buryatskiy Autonomous
District planned for April is still
doubtful. The local authorities in
Irkutsk still dont have any
indisputable reasons in favor of
Integration while the neighboring
Republic of Buryatia is launching an
underground propaganda against it.
The number of opponents to
integration of Irkutsk region and
Ust Orda is increasing in Ulan-Ude.
Here the people consider that after
autonomous regions are absorbed,
they shall proceed to National
Republics. Nikolay Tsyrempilov,
historian and the chairman of the
young scientists regional
association declared that Some 6
months ago our organization, which
opposes this integration had 40
members, and now we have over 250
members.
Last year the oppositionists,
after collecting 2000 signatures of
their associates sent an address to
the President of the Russian
Federation, to the Prime Minister,
and speakers of State Duma and the
Federation Council. Tsyrempilov said:In
this address we have called to
correct the historical mistake, and
to reestablish the borders of Buryat-
Mongolian Autonomous Republic, to
which till 1937 the present Buryatia,
and two autonomous regions and part
of Irkutsk region belonged. The
Ministry of Regional Development
sent a reply, saying that : the
Constitution prohibits the
unification of the regions, which
have not common borders. According
to Tsyrempilov, they are settling a
question of sending an appeal to the
Constitutional Court.
Oppositionists consider the
defense of UOBAR as the matter of
honor. Were demonstrating the
federal government that it will not
be as easy with Ust Orda, as it was
for example with Komi Permyatskiy
Autonomous Region, announces
Tsyrempilov. He complains about the
fact that they have to express their
opinion in secret. They do not want
to register groups against
Integration, which automatically
makes the work of such groups
illegal. The office of Public
Prosecutor and the Federal Security
Service show interest in the work of
oppositionists. For example, I has
already been called to their offices,
admits Tsyrempilov.
Several web-sites which
popularize anti-integration are
already functioning. And recently
some 10000 booklets called Why are
we against Integration were
received in Ust-Orda. Due to
security reasons this leaflet
contains neither the authors names
nor the output information. The
Agitational Headquarters in favor of
integration is aware of this group
of Buryat intellectuals , who
declare against the confluence of
the district and the region, but
they dont consider this group to be
a threat.
Sociological center of Irkutsk
Governors Administration and the
Socio-political Research Institution
on base of the Russian Federation
Academy of Sciences were finding out
the popularity of integration with
the people at the turn of the year
2005. At that time 39% of the
respondents in Irkutsk region and
50% of the respondents in Ust-Orda
were in favor of Integration. Some
8-24% of the respondents in Irkutsk
region and 11-12% in UOBAR were
against or rather against
integration. More than one third of
all respondents found difficulty in
responding. Theres still no
information on the dates when the
next research will take place for
now. Meanwhile the visitors of the
official website of the agitational
headquarters in favor of integration
- http://www.38plus85/ are asked to
answer a question: If the
referendum is to take place tomorrow,
are you going to vote? According to
the data for the 8th of February
nearly 60% of respondents answered
negatively.
According to Yuriy Pronin, a
political scientist in Irkutsk:
Moscow has not taken into account
the fact, that this autonomous
region has a parent subject m
which has forces to resist. Pronin
considers that the fact, that this
new formation will be called Irkutsk
region will reduce the attendance.
Who was so smart to turn down the
undoubtedly successful name of The
Baikal territory, he perplexes.
Everybody is saying, that there
will be an Integration of two
regions equal in rights. But they
are keeping the name of the larger
region. Whos going to prove now
that its not an absorption.
Pronin mentions that the two
local authorities dont have a
mutual policy related to Integration
agitation. Each one of them is
promising something, says the
expert. Deputy Doubrovich assures
that after Integration takes place,
the new airport will be built,
another deputy Shouba promises that
the new region will get one of the
15 high-tech medical centers
envisaged by the National Health
Project. But none of these promises
is proved by any official document.
Headquarters still hasnt
communicated the ideology, the
source in Irkutsk administration
told Vedomosti. That is why only
the Governor is giving all the
comments on the matter of
Integration. Agitational
Headquarters told Vedomosti that
the official agitation in Mass Media
will be launched in the mid of March.
And they said that solving the
social and economic problems will be
the main advantage of Integration.
For example for the farmers of Ust-
Orda it will be much easier to
deliver their agricultural
production to the regional markets.
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