Top news Ural Federal District: Ukraine, Kopeisk
May 23 – May 29
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Ямало-Ненецкий автономный округ
1 МАЯ, 2016
Russian and Ukrainian regional authorities and businessmen met in Kiev at a Forum to discuss cooperation opportunities. An international congress of law professionals was held in Ekaterinburg drawing attention to the problems of public law. People’s Front continued its development on the bases of the United Russia Ural Division. Learn more in weekly report with expert comments by FederalPress.
Russian and Ukrainian regional authorities and businessmen met in Kiev at a Forum to discuss cooperation opportunities. An international congress of law professionals was held in Ekaterinburg drawing attention to the problems of public law. People’s Front continued its development on the bases of the United Russia Ural Division. Learn more in weekly report with expert comments by FederalPress.
Russia-Ukraine relations
A Forum of Ural and Ukranian Regions was held in Kiev from May 25th to 27th. The heads of the regions, regional officials, and business representatives of both countries participated. Alongside with declared intentions to strengthen political and commercial relations some real contracts were signed.
Plenipotentiary in the Urals Nikolai Vinnichenko says this event corresponds to the President’s desire to bring the two countries closer.
Mikhail Pogrebensky, Director of Kiev Center of Political Research and Conflict Studies, says overcoming contradictions in Russian-Ukranian relations is the key factor for their relations restoration. Even though the countries’ authorities are positively looking at cooperation, they still have different interests. Ukraine is transiter of gas, Russia is exporter. Compromise on gas issues can’t be achieved yet.
“Seeing Russia as an enemy is over in Ukraine now. Therefore the search for mutually acceptable solutions is possible”, the expert says optimistically.
Over 80 percent of Ukrainian people, according to a poll, view Russia as a highly friendly state. The public supports rapprochement and the Forum held last week made ground for direct contacts on the regional level.
The main hindrance for Russia-Ukraine close relations is said to be the elites which are oriented towards the West and prefer looking at Europe.
Modernization of law
The Fifth Session of Eurasian Law Congress took place in Ekaterinburg on May 26-27. Leading scientists and law professors of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, USA and Europe came to the Ural city to discuss the perspectives of modernization of domestic legislation in Russia. Special attention was given to the problem of unification of laws in Eurasian Economic Community and Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Unification of tax laws, elaboration of common anti-corruption legislation and labor laws drew much attention of the law professionals. Entrepreneurship discussion resulted in signing a special Resolution to the President of Russia asking to create a separate Public Law Council.
Vladimir Belykh, Law and Entrepreneurship Institute Director, spoke of the Russian legal system drawbacks observed historically. The expert considers that since 1994 the state has been putting accent on civil legislation leaving public law aside. Additionally, there is little consolidation among law practitioners, scholars and legislators. As a result many legal initiatives get lost in the cabinets of the state officials.
Vladimir Belykh says the suggested Public Law Council could prepare amendments and new laws regulating entrepreneurial and managing relations, and possibly develop a Code of Entrepreneurship.
People’s Front in the regions
Regional divisions of United Russia started implementing Vladimir Putin’s initiative of strengthening coalition with local public organizations. After the headquarters of the party announced the list of NGOs participating in the People’s Front in Moscow, local divisions followed suit. Elections in December 2012 will be in some regions parallel with municipal and regional level elections, therefore local politicians are highly interested.
Political scientist Alexander Podoprigora explains why the People’s Front will not become a largely influential event in the regional political arena. The movement brings nothing new, no new ideas, faces, or strategies, he thinks. Technically, it was created to replace United Russia brand which attracts people’s discontent by a new brand connected with Putin that is yet free from any unpleasurable associations.
“People’s Front is a renewed, modernized political packaging for United Russia, which is necessary to present the party for the voters”, the expert concludes.
Prison of Kopeisk case
Chelyabinsk Regional Court issued a ruling for the loud case of murder of several convicts in the Colony # 1 in Kopeisk, Chelyabinsk Region. Actual imprisonment sentences were applied to only those prison guards who bit convicts to death. Those guards whose victims stayed alive received conditional sentences, as did the administration officials of the prison. So, in the view of many, the ruling is quite mild.
“Agora” legal rights organization representative Igor Sholokhov thinks rating assessment of prison employees’ work reform is necessary to prevent such accidents in the future.
“I consider the fact that all 18 suspects were recognized guilty the main achievement of this ruling. Chelyabinsk Regional Court has fulfilled one of the most significant principles of justice – punishment is unavoidable”. In the Russian legal practice such crimes usually stay without consequences. Violent treatment resulting in several deaths in Kopeisk drew attention to this problem and produced a result.
“Prisoners are usually not able to protect their rights. I hope that the situation in Russian prisons will improve after the reform of punitive system is fulfilled”. Rating system of job performance evaluation should be amended. Many officials built their careers using illegal methods. Kopeisk prison employees had very high ratings, but it did not prevent the tragedy.
Managing cities in Yugra
City-managers were selected in several cities of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District – Yugra. Yugorsk deputies voted for Mikhail Bodak to become the city-manager. He has been employed in the city’s administration since 1998.
Maxim Ryashin has signed city-management contract with the head of Khanty-Mansiysk. The man has experience in the city administration bodies and used to be director of a regional timber industrial company.
Nizhnevartovsk is yet to expect the selection commission decision. Admission of candidates for the city-manager’s position started on May 23.
Governor of Yugra Natalia Komarova strongly supports the concept of city-managers. Most of the municipal areas have already switched to a new system of municipal self-governance this spring.
Both candidates appointed represent the existing power. For experienced professionals to appear in Russia time must elapse, political expert Mikhail Korobelnikov considers.
“Effectiveness of the city-managers’ system is not proven. Generally, it has sense to use it when there is a stratum of people, managers, able to do this job properly and competently knowing the job’s specifics. In this case competition commission will have a real choice. In this country we don’t yet have any successful experience of city-managers”