The State Duma passed Thursday the bill establishing Zabaikal Krai as a result of the merger of the Chita Oblast and the Aginsky Buratsky autonomous district. The bill had been submitted to the Duma by the president upon the referendum held in the united subjects. The krai will be considered established since March 1 2008.

Not later than 35 days before this date, the president of Russia has to submit governor proposal to the legislatures of the merging subjects. During the transition period that will last until January 1 2010, the government of the Zabaikal Krai will have to be formed. Legislature election will be held on October 12 2008, Interfax reports.

Officially, the merger was called on by the subjects’ heads. Curiously, a year prior to proposing this, Governor of the Aginsky Buryatsky autonomous district Bair Zhamsuyev had been against the unification, saying “the merger will do not good to the citizens of the autonomous district that is ahead of the oblast in socio-economic development.” More to that, Zhamsuyev even promised to step down if he felt pressure. But then he claimed that the “situation has changed in the country” and therefore he said he had to “understand the policy of the federal center and follow it.”

Political and business elite of the district was against the merger fearing that the region’s economic status would deteriorate.

The Zabaikal Krai will be the fifth krai established by merger. According to the Economic Development and Trade Ministry, the number of the Russian Federation subjects has so far reduced to 85 (from 89 originally). Experts say the establishment of the krai is the last merger before the general and presidential elections. The last but one took place just recently – on July 1 Kamchatka Oblast and Koryak autonomous district united into the Kamchatka Krai, and on July 2 the krai inaugurated the governor.

Center for Current Politics’ expert Oksana Goncharenko believes the “remaining projects have bigger socio-political risks and therefore it would be inexpedient to carry them out before the elections.” Besides that, some regions are resisting unification. Among those, who refused to unite are Adygeya and Krasnodar krai, Altai Republic and Altai krai. The merger of the Arkhangelsk oblast and the Nenets autonomous district seems to have been put off.

The expert reminded that the standoff between Adygeya and Krasnodar nearly got to an armed conflict. According to the scientist, the “unrest was enough” for the federal center to cancel the merger project.

Despite that the regional enlargement subject has been sealed shut by the Kremlin, some occasionally propose various, at times radical, mergers: in particular, the unification of Moscow and Moscow oblast, St. Petersburg and Leningrad oblast.

Source: NEWSru.com, July 5, 2007