the acting heads of the Arkhangelsk region and Nenets Autonomous district Alexander Cybulski and Yuri Bezdomny 13 may announced plans to merge the two regions into one. In particular, Bezdomny explained the measure by the desire to cope with the difficult economic situation. While we are talking about the single economic space.
Perhaps a referendum on full unification will take place in 2020. The residents of the NAO accuse their government of betrayal. Rumors about a possible merger of the Federation began to spread in connection with the simultaneous resignation of two of their leaders. In particular, the media reported that Cybulski was appointed specially for the purpose of merging. NAO and the Arkhangelsk oblast belong to the so-called regions-the dolls: on the one hand, and Autonomous Okrug is an independent and another part of the field. Other similar cases is the Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous district, which, while preserving their independence, are part of the Tyumen region.
the Association of regions should take place in several stages. First, the local residents will take part in the referendum, on which they themselves must decide for themselves whether it is necessary to them. If necessary, the President of Russia will submit to Parliament a bill to create a new Federation subject. When the deputies will support the proposal of the President, in the Constitution of Russia will be made the appropriate edit. Earlier Russia had already United the regions. Such a fate befell the Perm region and Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Taimyr and Evenki Autonomous area, the Kamchatka area and Koryak Autonomous Okrug, Irkutsk oblast and Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous district and Chita oblast and Agin-Buryat AO, which became in Zabaykalsky Krai. However, the last merger was carried out in 2008.
meanwhile, residents of NAO news of the Union have apprehended, to put it mildly, without enthusiasm. In social networks people send curses on the heads of the authorities, accuse them of treason, called invaders, and so on. While in Arkhangelsk region they are not experiencing any tenderness, believing her to be a poor and unpromising region in which they have nothing to do. “The swamp will drown poor rich area,” say the inhabitants of the NAO. But in the Arkhangelsk oblast, the news was taken calmly. There, the majority believes that the worst is already all the same will not, therefore, ready to expand.
Special dissatisfaction among the people of the Autonomous area called the experts, which the governors discuss the prospect of the merger. NAO is represented by the Director of Children’s and youth centre “Leader” Daniel Giants, the history teacher, Yuri Kano and the head of the Nenets regional center of education development Olga kozitsina. Federal level representative��vyat, for example, a teacher of school of Economics Oleg Matveychev, who recently disgraced the proposal to destroy the liberals, and the head of “International Institute of the newest States” Alexei Martynov, who had previously worked on Abkhazia, South Ossetia, the DNI, LC and so on.
“MK” has found out from the scientists how important the decision to merge the regions, and whether to bring it to life.
Ilya Graschenkov, General Director of the Center for the development of regional policy:
With the technical side of the issue, to merge the Arkhangelsk region with the Nenets Autonomous district is easy. In fact, you just need to bring together the administrations of the two entities. NAO is one of the smallest of subjects: 44 thousands of people. In Arkhangelsk region there are more than 1.1 million people. The GDP they are about the same.
First of all, the unification will be useful to Arkhangelsk, so there the authorities have a big problem with popularity. In particular, oil and gas revenues of the NAO can be put on the development of a fairly depressed region. If Arkhangelsk authorities will not find new growth points for its rating on the next elections in the region may well defeat the opposition candidate. In addition, the Association may become a new stimulus for the development of the Northern sea route.
the Problem is that the enterprises of regions will have to hold a referendum, and residents of the NAO do not want to be part of the Arkhangelsk region. Their region is much richer and, naturally, they see no reason to share its wealth. The big question is how the government will get out of this situation. May will promise to solve problems with medicine, and so on. But the fear of losing national autonomy combined with economic losses anyway is a very strong incentive to vote against the merger. On the other hand, the solution may be voting in one list and not the regions, but it is difficult to say how legitimate it is.
Konstantin Kalachev, analyst:
– the inhabitants of the NAO speak strongly against the merger. The population there is small, so the second Sees it will not turn out, but its the small version, though. This is a small but a very proud region. It is difficult to imagine what arguments you will find the power to force people to vote for Association with the Arkhangelsk region. People have to break through the knee.
Perhaps the leadership of the NAO will try to convince the population , appealing to the fall in oil prices, but it will be tough because “black gold” all the same will be sold, and in Arkhangelsk own points of growth there. There is an idea to sell diamonds, but now the big problem with sales.
it is Clear that due to the NAO want to pull the Arkhangelsk among heavy subsidized regions. Debt region with��makes about 30 billion roubles. In addition, this is a protest region in which Lies captured information agenda. Maybe the authorities hope to shift society’s attention on how the blooming region after the merger.
the idea of uniting long-standing, but to come to grips with it I decided just now, when handling in the region became much higher. Previously, it would have led to small but significant social explosion. In the history of the NAO were different times. For example, during the reign of NAO Alexei Barinov (2005-2006), the region was a state within a state. But now, the risks still remain.
