Individual Democratic Institutions Research Fellowships 1994-1996

Administrative and Cadre Reform in Russia: Opportunities And Perils For Democracy Leonid Rodin [Back to Index] Chapter III. Impact Of Political Prevarications III.4. Composition of the Council of Federation The Council of Federation that came into being in January 1996 was formed on new principles of personal appointment of leaders of various Russian regions, or 'subjects of the Federation' that numbered 89 at the time. As of January 22, 1996 there were only five vacancies among 178 seats (two for each region) at the Russian 'Senate' (missing were representatives of local Administrations and Legislatures from Ivanovsk, Chita, Yaroslavl, Sakhalin and Tambov regions). Two thirds of the Chamber's members were newcomers. The most important and foretelling event in the work of the Council at the initial stage was the election of its Chairman. By the overwhelming majority of 147 'Senators' that prestigious post went to Yegor Stroev. For many observers that choice was still another glaring example of the 'creeping' restoration of yesteryear Soviet 'big-time apparatchiks' to positions of national prominence as the result of the opposition's success at the December 1995 elections. 58-year old Governor of the Orlov region, Stroev was a 'veteran' of the Communist regime, having spent 26 years in various party positions, all the way to full membership in the Politbureau, under Mikhail Gorbachev (16). Interestingly enough, during the election campaign E.Stroev was actively supporting the Communist Party of the Russian Federation under Gennadii Zuganov, however initial official announcement of his elections to the post of the Council's 'Speaker' mentioned him as representative of the 'Our Home Russia' faction, presided by Premier Victor Chernomyrdin. It was only later, evidently to the embarrassment of both parties, that Yegor Stroev was called an 'independent'. Another startling peculiarity connected with Egor Stroev was that the former Communist 'hand-picked' by Boris Yeltsin himself, as a replacement for Vladimir Shumeiko, who had been acquiring fairly negative notoriety during his stretch of service in the position of the Head of the Upper Chamber. In the opinion of the 'Moskovskii Komsomolets', the President was motivated by the fact that Stroev also held the job of the Chairman of the Coordination Council of the 'Association of Russian Regions', an unofficial structure that unites all Russian Governors. The support of Egor Stroev and the powerful Governors' Association may be crucial for any Presidential candidate, including Boris Yeltsin himself (17). In the general opinion of Russian political analysts and observers, Russian Presidency was becoming progressively dependent on the 'good will' and cooperation of regional elites that came to control the Council of Federation. Therefore 'establishing close cooperation with the Council was becoming one of Kremlin's main lines of behavior. (It was not surprising that even before the new 'Senate' began its activities in 1996, they were busily preparing a new set of offices for the President of the Russian Federation in the Council of Federation building. Supposedly it meant that Boris Yeltsin, who had visited Council meetings only once in 1993, intended to frequently participate in 'Senatorial' deliberations). On January 23, 1996 President Yeltsin made his first appearance at the new Council of Federation and spoke at its initial meeting, however making neither new political revelations, nor important statements on the current state of Russian affairs (it has to be stressed that at that particular moment the Russian society was still trying to cope with the painful act of Chechen terrorists at Daghestan localities of Kizlyar and Pervomaiskoe). In view of the importance of the relationship between the 'Center' in Moscow and Russian regions it may also be opportune at this stage to touch upon some of the contemporary problems that arise in this area. Footnotes In 1989 Egor Stroev became the Central Committee's Secretary in charge of agriculture, and since 1990 he was briefly, until the August 1991 events, serving in the capacity of the Politbureau member. Moskovskii Komsomolets. 25.01.1996.