Maikop/Agency Caucasus – A series of debates over the nationality of the next parliament speaker of Adygea have gone up the daily agenda after Ruslan Hacebiyev was appointed by the United Russian Party in the wake of December 2 elections as the Adygei representative of Duma.
Adygei members of the parliament were cautioned against a possible election of someone Russian as the parliament speaker in such a manner that violates the tradition of Adygei members of the parliament getting elected the speaker. Aslan Thakushinov, President, would like someone Russian to get elected parliament speaker, according to Kavkazki Uzel’s interviews with several parliamentarians. The Adygei people, a minority though they may be in Adygea, are adamant that speaker of the parliament should be an Adygei. Some members of the parliament already asked for an appointment to meet with the president so that they could talk about the current situation. Not yet specified exactly though, this meeting is expected to happen either on January 14 or January 15. Thakushinov’s intent on electing a Russian speaker of the parliament is, obviously enough, related to the political pressure he is sustaining from the administration in Moscow, capital of Russia.
Anatoli Osokin, a senior official of the Adygei parliament, said that the question of Russian candidacy for the position to be the speaker is yet not resolved fully. A list of possible candidates contains the following three names:
Anatoli Ivanov, Assistant Parliament Speaker, Aleksandry Luzin, Group Head for the United Russian Party and Seryei Pismak, member of the party.
Negotiations will last longer than expected, according to Osokin. In the first place, the Moscow administration will check the URP candidates. Candidates will have to have official approval from Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to run in the elections. The candidate with a majority vote will be elected the speaker. Whoever can win the approval from Moscow to run in the elections, only he will stand a chance of getting elected. There are three Adygeis who will run in the elections: Mugdin Chermit, Asker Shalahov and Rashid Mugu.
The rumour has it that Rashid Mugu was heard expressing to his friends his unwillingness to appear in the elections. The Adygei members of the parliament tend to view it right if the president, the speaker, the minister of culture and head of the press committee have to be Adygei, because only this way can Adygea be guaranteed full protection against plans to strip it of its republican status and make it part of Krasnodar Kray. KU/ÖZ/
