5 October 2000
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Russian Daily: Kremlin Would Allow Shaimiev To Stand For Third Term
The Russian daily "Segodnya" reported on 4 October, citing an anonymous source, that the Kremlin supported -- as an exception -- the intention of Tatar President Mintimer Shaimiev to run for a third term as president. And, as one good turn deserves another, the daily wrote, Shaimiev showed gave his colleagues the priority of federal legislation over regional laws when he gave up the idea of moving the elections up and called for them to be as provided by the constitution. The newspaper reminded that last week, sources close to the Kremlin reported that the General-Prosecutor's Office, the presidential state juridical board, and the Supreme Court investigated how well Tatar law corresponded to federal legislation. But "I's" were dotted, "Segodnya" reported, at a 2 October meeting of Tatarstan's speaker, Farid Mukhametshin, with the head of the Russian presidential administration, Aleksandr Voloshin.
Opposition Political Scientist Doesn't See Hindrances For Shaimiev's Third Term
A political researcher, Midkhat Farukshin, who often opposes officials in Tatarstan, said in an interview with Tatar-inform on 4 October that it is likely that a 9 October extraordinary State Council session will reverse a decision to move up the presidential elections to 24 December and the poll will be held as originally scheduled in March. Farukshin said that the idea to change the election date as it was proposed "couldn't be criticized." He said "the play itself was bad, the producer poor, and the performers worthless." Additionally, Farukshin continued, there are no obstacles in Russian legislation for electing the President to a third term because it is permitted within Tatarstan's legislation. The federal law on the common principles of organizing legislative and executive authorities in the Russian Federation's territorial entities says that one person cannot be elected as a regional head more than twice, but there is a paragraph demanding that territorial entities harmonize their legislation with this law only by October 2001. Thus, Farukshin believes, there are no obstacles to Shaimiev running for president for a third term in March.
Oil Companies To Pay For Theft Of Oil
Akhmet Yarullin, the chief engineer of the Middle Volga Transnefteprodukt oil transporting company, said that the number of places where oil is being diverted from pipelines increased 2.5 times as compared to last year, Tatar Television reported on 4 October. The official was cited as saying that oil extraction and transporting enterprises are going to pay security forces to fight the oil misappropriation. He said that in each case, oil companies lose between 100,000 and 200,000 rubles. Six groups of thieves have already been caught red-handed.
By Gulnara Khasanova