United Russia Sergei Sokol heads the Supreme Council of Khakassia

The Supreme Council of Khakassia of the eighth convocation elected a new speaker. He became Sergei Sokol, secretary of the regional branch of United Russia (UR), which, following the September elections, received an absolute majority of seats in the republican parliament. Prior to this, from the moment of its establishment in 1992, the position of speaker in it was permanently occupied by Vladimir Shtygashev. The head of the region, communist Valentin Konovalov, speaking at the first session of the regional parliament, noted that when forming his government, he was ready to consider proposals from all parliamentary parties, as well as from the Supreme Council of Khakassia as a government body. Previously, Sergei Sokol opposed Valentin Konovalov in the election of the head of the region, but withdrew from the vote. Experts believe that in their new positions, the governor and the speaker of the Supreme Council will try not to conflict too much.

On September 22, at its first session, the new composition of the Supreme Council of Khakassia elected yourself a speaker. He became Sergei Sokol, nominated by the United Russia faction. In the September elections to the regional parliament, he headed the list of the party in power. As a result of the voting, United Russia formed a qualified majority in parliament, receiving 34 mandates, another 14 from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, two from the Liberal Democratic Party.

41 out of 50 deputies present at the session voted for the candidacy of Sergei Sokol for the post of chairman of the council during a secret ballot, six voted for his only rival Yaroslav Khavron from the LDPR, the parliament’s press service clarified.

Let us remind youthat Sergei Sokol also intended to take part in the September elections for the head of the Republic of Khakassia. United Russia nominated him in June. However, already in July, with a diagnosis of peritonitis, the candidate was hospitalized in one of the hospitals in the republic and underwent surgery. In August, Sergei Sokol was re-hospitalized, but in the intensive care unit of the Moscow Vishnevsky Hospital with complications from the disease. In early September, he withdrew his candidacy from the elections for health reasons, and later announced that he would leave the State Duma to work in the republic. Soon he actually resigned as a federal deputy.

“You and I went to the elections with a big strategy for the socio-economic development of Khakassia until 2035. Residents took part in its formation. And we are responsible for every point of this strategy. It is logical that the secretary of the republican branch, as the face of the party in the republic, should implement this strategy,” explained Andrei Turchak, secretary of the party’s general council, at an extended meeting of the political council of the regional branch of United Russia on September 21.

The candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation for the post of chairman of the Supreme Council of the eighth convocation, Vladimir Shtygashev, who has been permanently heading the parliament of Khakassia since the beginning of 1992 (he recently represented United Russia), recused himself during the session and refused to fight for the post of speaker. “I’m withdrawing my candidacy – for God’s sake, don’t. Try to repeat my experience of 33 years, but I have my own unrealized tasks. Finally, as a deputy of the Supreme Council, I can do more. “I recuse myself,” said the politician, noting that his last, seventh convocation was the only one when the remaining factions were not suppressed by the majority of United Russia.

After announcing his victory in the vote for speaker, Sergei Sokol said that he has experience working in regions where indigenous peoples live—in the Dolgano-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, as well as in the Irkutsk region.

“I am interested in the history and culture of the Khakass people. I will do everything to ensure that your expectations in this position are met. The most important thing is to establish constructive interaction between all branches of government,” he explained.

Deputy Oleg Ivanov addressed the newly elected chairman with the question: “Who exactly will reimburse the budget for the costs of the State Duma elections?” Sergei Sokol promised to transfer his work and contacts to the deputy who will receive his mandate in the State Duma. The issue of nominating a senator from the regional legislative branch was not considered at the first session.

The head of Khakassia, communist Valentin Konovalov, who was re-elected to a second term in the elections of the head of the region, speaking at the first session of deputies of the Supreme Council of the eighth convocation, noted that “over the past five years, thanks to the constructive joint work” of the government he headed and the Supreme Council, the republic was able to be brought out of the crisis. “If the government and the Supreme Council continue to work as a single team, we will definitely achieve good results and fulfill all the tasks that the residents of Khakassia and the President of Russia set for us,” he said.

Mr. Konovalov also said that when forming the regional government, “I am ready to consider the proposals of all parliamentary parties, the proposals of the Supreme Council of Khakassia as a government body.”

President of the Center for Regional Policy Development Foundation Ilya Grashchenkov is confident that the current government will continue its conciliatory policy and will be able to balance on the brink of realizing its own goals and objectives without conflict with the legislative branch. “Both parties, in fact, are the parties of power – United Russia – the current one, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation – the former, so both understand that in a situation of victory it is necessary to secure it, and not organize opposition wars,” he believes.

Political scientist Sergei Komaritsyn is confident that the federal authorities put pressure on Valentin Konovalov. “This is obvious from the results of voting in the Supreme Council: the Communists also voted for Sokol at the session. It was important for the Kremlin to take revenge in order to show its influence in the republic,” he commented. According to Mr. Komaritsyn, the election of Sergei Sokol will not affect the current political activities of the region and he will not take a position of confrontation.

Lolita Belova, Novosibirsk