Komi Voityr: municipal reform undermines Komi interests
Before the State Council of the Komi Republic adopted the draft law on the transition of local governments to a single-tier system of governance, Komi Voityr, a representative organisation of the Komi people, issued a statement expressing its opposition to the draft law and sent a corresponding resolution to the State Council. However, the State Council members who are also members of Komi Voityr—that is, the parliamentarians, all of whom belong to the United Russia party—supported the local government reform bill. This represents a rare divergence of opinion between the Komi representatives in power and the representative body of the Komi people.
Arguments against the law
In its decision, Komi Voityr justified its opposition to the draft bill by stating that the adoption of the law would abolish village councils. Village residents would be deprived of their collective rights regarding land issues. There would also be a disconnect between the republican and municipal authorities and the needs and interests of the rural population. Yet, there would be no opportunity to influence decisions at the local level regarding the well-being and quality of life of the rural population. The ability to apply historically established customs in regulating local matters would be lost, and it is no longer possible to address the livelihood issues of rural residents. Financial resources are being wasted due to the renaming of various local government structures. Also, the effectiveness of adopted decisions is diminishing, and there are no longer any guarantees regarding the well-being of citizens or the improvement of conditions for the rural population. Instead of rural development, an exodus of the population will occur due to a decrease in the number of administrative jobs.
Komi Voityr emphasised that villages are the only sources of the Komi language and culture, where traditions and customs are preserved. According to Komi Voityr, the transition to a single-tier administrative system also contradicts the views of Russian President Putin, who has stated that decisions regarding living conditions in the country’s or region’s more remote settlements should not be rushed. Komi Voityr also pointed out that the same concern has been expressed by Lyudmila Matvienko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation: the depopulation of rural areas poses a strategic threat both economically and from the perspective of national security.
