Notwithstanding final results of the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan has not been announced, the ruling party "Eni Azerbaijan" ("New Azerbaijan") can celebrate its victory and count on majority of places in the new parliament – according to preliminary data, "Eni Azerbaijan" has already won 64 from 125 places. It is followed by oppositional parties "Musavat" - 4 places, the party of Civic solidarity and the party "Ana Veten" – each has 2 places, the party of People’s front of Azerbaijan, “Umid” and other four parties – each has one place. Totally representatives of oppositional parties still have not received even 10 places (11.00 Moscow time), about 91,39% protocols of 4 699 election districts from 5 137 were counted.
Director of the Center for Current Politics Konstantin Simonov considers that recently there have been no clear information grounds that could worsen traditionally low opinion of the Russians towards law enforcement bodies: “ I think that in fact they [the research results] can be considered as an element of the campaign on demonization of the authority, and it is related to the election campaign in Moscow”.
Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov divided powers of former vice-mayor Valery Shantsev between his two deputies. Abolished position of vice-mayor was considered as a homestretch in a race for the position of mayor. Luzhkov liquidated it not to раскрывать карты before the elections to the Moscow Duma.
On Tuesday information appeared that satirical writer Victor Shenderovich, probably, would be a united democratic candidate for 201st University district of Moscow at State Duma additional elections.
The government approved of the administrative reform edition for 2006-2008. The problems remained the same. For the 18 months, federal level of the executive power was only slightly reformed, while corruption and low transparency of the bureaucracy were left untouched.
Premier Mikhail Fradkov signed the concept of the administrative reform in Russia for 2006-2008 and a plan of measures to implement it. Despite that the reform began in spring 2004, the ‘stages of its practical realization were reached only by some of its elements, while the major work has not been started yet’, as put in the concept. The document offers the data of international researches, according to which, among the 48 largest countries, Russia is on the 40th place in the list of the most transparent countries. It is also at the bottom of the GRICS (Governance Research Indicator Country Snapshot) list of the World Bank that estimates effectiveness of state management in 209 countries by such showings as effectiveness of government work, legislation quality, law domination, and corruption control.
For the 18 months, only the ‘federal level of the executive power was touched, while the regional level only underwent experiments’
The nationalistic moods are intensifying in the regions of Russia. In Ivanovo, where mayor election will be held December, politicians, instead of teenagers as in Voronezh, raised the national relations issue. Head of the public union Diaspora and former CEO of Ivanovoregiongaz, current candidate for Ivanovo mayor post Gennady Vavilov tried to make use of the issue. His statements during the election briefing last week come to the following: the mayor post has to be taken by the Ivanovo native, Russian people feel themselves a secondary national diaspora in the city, and so forth. Experts do not think that such election tactic can lead to a success for the candidate but express anxiety with the obvious trend in the Russian politics.
In 2006, the army of officials in the municipal districts will grow to at least 150 thousand people. Subsidies to the municipal budgets will be increased. The reform of self-government in Russia is establishing a new level of power. However, the effectiveness of the management is still questionable.
Alexander Pavlyuk, leading expert of the Center for Current Politics: First of all, it is necessary to pay attention to efficiency of present governmental bodies. Only the Presidential Administration can be called efficient. After the administrative reform the Government lost efficiency. The ministries where the administrative reform was realized became inefficient, because they have a lot of conflicts because of existence of federal services and supervisions. The process of preparation and decision-making considerably slows down. Members of the Cabinet of Ministers have conflicts with each other and lobby their apparatus interests at the expense of their competitors.
Development of Russian economy became slower, state-business relations are not determined. Besides, there are symptoms of “Dutch illness” in the country. Experts of the World Bank came to such conclusions in their report having analyzed the recent trends of economic development of Russia.
There are people in our Government whose ideological affiliation is too vague. For example, it is unclear whether Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov is an institutionalist or Keynesian? It seems that he stands both for state investment and for tax reduction for business. Well, all these measures belong to unmixed economic projects. But the Prime Minister never said which of them he favours, therefore he can be accused of anything, except inconsequence. No less surprising things take place with the ministers declaring their adherence to a certain economic conception.
