Is Mintimer Shaimiyev (left) standing up to Vladimir Putin over elections? (ITAR-TASS)
Tatarstan's president, Mintimer Shaimiyev, set Russia's chattering
classes off on June 15 by telling a congress of journalists the country
should return to the direct election of regional heads. Those
elections, it will be recalled, were eliminated by then-President
Vladimir Putin in 2004, supposedly as part of his overall plan to
combat terrorism.
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