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The situation developing around Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov
demonstrates a crisis of the political system created in Russia
for the past ten years.
Abolishing direct elections of heads of the regions the federal
authorities have virtually eliminated the sole mechanism allowing
for a legitimate change of authorities. Certainly this mechanism
had its drawbacks, but it functioned nonetheless.
Transfer to virtual appointment of regional heads created
a gigantic gap between the authorities and the people, undermined
the legitimacy of the heads that were not elected by the citizens
[but were appointed by the authorities] and shifted the responsibility
for problems and failures in the regions onto the federal
centre. Appointment of regional heads has already turned into
an arena of under-carpet fight between different clans.
The President of the country in the best traditions of the
oligarcharchy unleashed an information war against the Mayor
of Moscow at the censored television channels instead of exercising
his lawful right of impeaching a governor. The fact that Yuri
Luzhkov and his spouse Elena Baturina do not have a possibility
to reply on the accusations through the same federal television
channels allows us to characterize this campaign as mobbing.
The claims put forward against Luzhkov are quite justified,
but they could be set virtually against any regional head,
a federal official or a large-scale businessman. Creation
by top officials of favourable conditions for businesses based
on family ties or friendly relations is an inevitable practice
in the oligarchic rule which has developed in Russia since
mid 1990s.
This system readily forgives any “liberties” for officials
and businessmen until they keep their political loyalty to
the top persons of the state. In case of losing such loyalty
the system punishes the culprit for the very fact that he
has been living in accordance with its laws.
Choosing one of the officials as a victim of mobbing resembles
the beginning of persecutions against Mikhail Khodorkovsky
who was incriminated the things all the oligarchs of the Yeltsin
period did. And the key reason of unleashing such mobbing
in both the cases was their personal conflict with the head
of the state.
The Moscow regional branch of the YABLOKO party remaining
in opposition to the Moscow authorities and stating of the
need to change the city authorities, notes that this change
should be conducted as follows:
1) it should take place in civilized forms avoiding humiliation
of the ex-Mayor and most of the Muscovites who elected him;
2) it should base on the opinion of the Muscovites.
Appointing on the post of the Mayor of Moscow a person who
would depend on the Kremlin only and without connection with
Muscovites through some responsibility means a way prone of
serious social consequences.
We are demanding from the President to return to consideration
of YABLOKO’s proposal on restoration of direct elections of
regional heads, including the Mayor of Moscow and the Governor
of St.Petersburg, the two subjects of the Russian Federation
that differ from other regions only in one thing, that their
borders coincide with the borders of the cities - Moscow and
St.Petersburg.
The new Mayor of Moscow should be chosen through elections,
rather than with the help of under-carpet fight of Kremlin’s
clans.
Sergei Mitrokhin
Chair of the Moscow YABLOKO branch
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