Cruisy Las Vegas Spas

Moscow seeks to rein in local potentates

Article published in Le Figaro, 7 July 2010.
Версия на Russian in Inosmi.ru: Moscow is trying to rein in regional rulers

Mourtaza Rakhimov, puissant président du Bachkortostan, n'est plus en odeur de sainteté au Kremlin.

C'est venu tout d'un coup, après dix-sept ans de règne sans partage sur le Bachkortostan pétrolifère (Bachkirie, dans l'Oural). Le 19 juin, la chaîne fédérale NTV, propriété the state gas giant Gazprom, incendiary broadcasts a story on the clan of President Murtaza Rakhimov, 76 years: corruption, extortion, appropriation of state property. "Each bird must complete the Bashkir Family Finances Rakhimov," drops the narrator.

In the process, other pro-Kremlin media have put the game. In late June, the official newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta repeated the same arguments to discredit Rakhimov, warning that "the actions of local government have already fallen in an area of focus for law enforcement agencies. This week, Rakhimov sued for defamation against NTV, also threatening to attack other media who question his honesty.

Last February, Murtaza Rakhimov had nevertheless always favored by Moscow. In an interview with the same Rossiyskaya Gazeta, he explained how he would participate in the process of "modernization" dear to President Dmitry Medvedev. In October 2006, Vladimir Putin, then president, Rakhimov had re-appointed. What the media "fail" to mention is that the wrongdoing alleged against him are now mostly dating from before this date ...

Negotiate skilfully

The question now is not whether Rakhimov will retain his position at the end of his term in October 2011, but it will be removed before the deadline. Since the abolition of elections of regional leaders in 2004, the Russian president theoretically plenty of time to appoint and remove the 83 "heads" of the federation. But the reality is more complex. Like other dinosaurs of the regional power, Rakhimov mapped out a political-economic machine that has become the guarantor of stability in the republic. To avoid problems, Moscow has to negotiate with diplomacy. Last January, President of Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaimiyev, asked what his mandate is not renewed. He proposed as his successor his loyal prime minister vow fulfilled by the Kremlin. Since then, other potentates have preferred the golden retirement in the war against the "vertical of power" dear to Vladimir Putin.

But another fight is announced for the Kremlin. This December will expire on the fifth term of office of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. The powerful elected official gave no sign he was ready to leave himself the seat he has held for eighteen years.