A special Internet portal is being created for local governments

On Monday, at the “Small Motherland – the Strength of Russia” forum, a special digital portal municipalities.rf, created with the participation of the presidential administration, will be presented. It is designed to help representatives of local authorities solve their current problems thanks to digital access to information about various state support measures, relevant legislation, etc. As Kommersant has already reported, recently the federal government has been paying more and more attention to local self-government (LSG) and its integration into a single vertical of public power, since the general trust in government and the election results largely depend on municipalities.

As a source in the All-Russian Association for the Development of Local Self-Government (VARMSU) told Kommersant, on January 15, as part of the “Small Motherland – the Strength of Russia” forum, a special digital portal for local self-government bodies will be presented – municipalities.rf. President Vladimir Putin gave instructions to create a digital communication platform for representatives of local government in June last year, and the portal, which will be presented on January 15, is the first stage of its implementation, Kommersant’s interlocutor explained. Officially, the order was addressed to the government, which was also recommended to involve the ANO “Dialogue Regions” in the creation of the platform. According to the source, the development of the platform was also carried out by the presidential administration, VARMSU and the Higher School of Public Administration (HSSU) of RANEPA.

In total, the portal will have eight digital services.

Among them, in particular, is the “Municipal Navigator” – a database of state support measures and competitions, ready-made solutions to certain problems with step-by-step instructions, as well as a selection of success stories with examples of implemented projects through the use of existing opportunities. “Legal Vector” – legal documents necessary for local self-government employees, as well as legal advice. “Municipal Practices” is a database of the best local projects. “Municipal Dialogue” is a digital service for “identifying the problem field” and “analytics for developing solutions at the highest level.” “Municipal Academy” is an educational resource containing programs and courses that are suitable for municipal employees who want to learn new competencies or deepen their knowledge.

As Kommersant already reportedRecently, the presidential administration has been paying special attention to municipal authorities. Let us remind you that, according to the amendments to the Constitution adopted in 2020, local self-government bodies are included in a unified system of public authority. At the end of last year, the “school of mayors” began its work on the basis of the Higher School of State University of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, so named by analogy with the “school of governors” – a similar educational program based on the same educational institution for candidates for regional heads. Completing training under this program has actually become a mandatory condition for appointment to the position of head of the region. At the same time, to get into the “school of mayors,” among other things, a recommendation is required from the current governors. Also recently, representatives of municipalities got their own award – “Service”.

As a Kommersant source close to the presidential administration explained earlier, such attention from the federal authorities to local self-government bodies is not accidental, because their representatives are precisely the people who solve certain problems “on the ground,” including those related to elections different levels.

At the same time, municipalities often, without receiving much help from above, become responsible for many local problems. Therefore, the introduction of new mechanisms for supporting local self-government is taking place on the eve of the presidential elections, explains Kommersant’s interlocutor.

Afanasy Sborov