Public_Enemy

Russia Ratifies Tatarstan Power-Sharing Pact


February 9, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Russia's lower house of parliament today ratified a 10-year power-sharing agreement between federal authorities and the Republic of Tatarstan, RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service reported.

The treaty gives the predominantly Muslim Volga-region republic a degree of economic and political autonomy no other region enjoys.

After a heated debate, 306 lawmakers in the State Duma voted for the document, 110 voted against, and one abstained..

The website of RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service.

"There were almost no arguments from those who opposed the ratification of the treaty," Duma Deputy from Tatarstan Ildar Gilmutdinov told RFE/RL. "They couldn't justify why we shouldn't approve the treaty -- we didn't hear any of that. With the supporters, it was just the opposite. We could show that it was possible to grant special status based on Russian law itself, as we've done in the past for Magadan or Kaliningrad or Altai Krai. So today, more than 300 deputies voted to support the treaty with Tatarstan."

Deputy Duma speaker Oleg Morozov told RFE/RL that there will be similar agreements with other federation subjects in the future, most likely including Bashkortostan and Chechnya.

"I don't foresee a large number of agreements," Morozov said. "the count will be in the single digits."

The agreement, which Tatarstan ratified in 2005, was submitted to the Duma by President Vladimir Putin.

__________________

Brother Oz

Probably necessary, but this does show a big problem with Russia. The Tsars never managed to enforce Russification like they wanted, and this has led to many places that do not feel loyalty towards the Russian nationality, and so the Russian state: Chechnya is the perfect example.

__________________
... I am surprised at your insolence in writing to me at all. You know, as I know, that I bought this constituency... may God's curse light upon you and may it make your women as open and as free to the excise officers as your wives and daughters have always been to me while I have represented your scoundrel corporation.
I have the honour to be... your obliged humble servant, Anthony Henley
- MPs reply to constituent, mid 1700s

SubZero

As far as I know this power-sharing agreement is typical for federal system of any federal state. For example, in Germany (which is federation too)there are a lot of power sharing agreements between the lands (between Bavaria and Federal center etc), so our country build its own system of a federal state. In Tatarstan live more than half christians (ethnic russians), and about 44% Tatars which are muslims...And for democracy we must enter into such agreements because the democracy demands that...

Public_Enemy

I have 1989 census ;
Tatars : %49, ethnic Russians : %43, Chuvash (Christian Turkics) :%4, other : %4
if we consider tatars have higher birthrate than russians, numbers of tatars could be more than %50 today...

Keeping Tatars calm is important since they are the largest ethnic ppl after Russians in RF as soon as I know.
But to be honest, besides some extremists, I don't think Tatars or others would cause trouble for Russia as soon as Russia is strong politically and economically.. They have a collective history and culture, they are used to live together and there is no visible discrimination...

__________________