Like every state entity within the Russian Federation, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) uses its right to self-government. One of the ways to express this right is to have its own legislative body, which is the State Assembly (Il Tumen). This institution solves a number of important tasks that guarantee the performance of self-government functions on the territory of a given administrative unit. We will talk about the powers, stages of development and composition of the parliamentary body of Il Tumen below.
History of formation and development
First, let's find out how Il Tumen was created. Yakutia until 1991 was part of the RSFSR and was called the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. At the end of 1991, the territorial entity received state status and its current name - the Republic of Sakha. At the same time, the first president of Yakutia was elected.
But the legislative body of the republic appeared much later, only in 1993. Since then, Il Tumen has had five convocations, and the last elections were held in 2013.
The building of the Republican Parliament is located in the center of the capital of the RepublicSakha, city of Yakutsk, on Yaroslavsky street.
Tasks and powers
The tasks and powers of Il Tumen are stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of Sakha.
The main task of the parliamentary structure of Yakutia is to create a legislative basis for the development of the republic, as well as control over its implementation by state structures.
The powers of Il Tumen include the adoption and introduction of various changes and amendments to the Constitution of the Republic, as well as the adoption of other laws in force on the territory of this subject of the federation. The management of the budget process within the region, the adoption of the budget and control over its implementation are also entrusted to the local parliament.
The State Assembly of Il Tumen of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) has the right to express no confidence in the government and the president of the region. The head of Yakutia, appointed by the President of Russia, must obtain the approval of the local parliament without fail. Otherwise, the head of the Russian Federation will be forced to submit another candidate for the regional leader for consideration by the State Assembly.
In addition, only the parliament has the right to resolve issues regarding the territorial boundaries of Yakutia, appoint judges of the peace, establish the procedure for holding local referendums and elections, etc.
Structure of Parliament
Il Tumen of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is a unicameral parliament. It consists of seventy deputies who elect a chairman and three deputies from among themselves.
For more productive work, deputies create 14specialized committees: budget, control, agrarian policy, family and youth, etc. In addition, there is a regulatory and mandate commission.
Chairman and his deputies
The chairman of Il Tumen is elected by a simple majority of deputies. Its tasks include leading this parliamentary body and representing it in relations with other organizations and structures. Currently, since October 2013, Deputy A. N. Zhirkov has been the Chairman. He is a native of Yakutia and represents the United Russia party. He was a member of the local parliament of all convocations, and previously engaged in teaching activities. Until October 2013, the post of chairman was held by Zhirkov's fellow party member V. N. Basygysov.
In addition, the chairman has three deputies. The first deputy at the moment is A. A. Dobryantsev. The other two deputies are V. N. Gubarev and O. V. Balabkina. The first deputy performs the duties of the head when, for any reason, the chairman is absent. Il Tumen does not stop working even in this case.
Deputy Corps
As mentioned above, the deputy corps consists of 70 deputies. Currently, 52 of them are members of the United Russia faction, 9 are members of the Just Russia faction, and 5 more are members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. In general, the composition of the State Assembly of Yakutia is quite loyal to the current Government of the Russian Federation.
Among the parliamentarians of the fifth convocation, it should be noted such names as A. A. Akimov, M. S. Gabyshev, S. S. Ivanov, S. A. Larionov, D. V. Savvin. All of these are quite well-known deputies. Il Tumen is also represented by other worthy parliamentarians.
Deputies of the State Assembly not only make decisions on regional issues, but also participate in the discussion of tasks of an all-Russian scale. Moreover, some of them even appear on the international stage. So, the leader of the regional branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Viktor Gubarev, who is also the deputy head of the State Assembly of the Republic of Sakha, in the summer of 2015 was on an official visit to the unrecognized republic of the DPR. After the trip, he called on Russia to recognize the state sovereignty of the DNR and LNR.
Election order
Elections in Il Tumen take place once every five years. They were last held in September 2013, and before that they took place in 2008.
According to the current legislation, half of the deputies of the regional parliament, that is, 35 people, are elected in single-member constituencies. In this case, voters vote for a specific person. The other half of the members of the National Assembly is elected according to the lists of electoral associations and blocs. In this case, voters vote for a party organization or bloc. Based on the nationwide results, each bloc that overcomes a certain barrier in the elections receives a number of seats in parliament in proportion to the number of votes cast for it. Deputies are delegated by an electoral association or party according to a previously announced list. Those have prioritycandidates who are at the top of the list.
Any citizen of Russia who has reached the age of 21 and has the right to vote can be elected to the Sakha Republic. The electoral right has persons who have reached the age of 18, who have Russian citizenship and are registered in any locality of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
The next elections in Il Tumen will be held in 2018.
Activities at the All-Russian level
The State Assembly of Yakutia, like any regional legislative body, has the right to participate in solving all-Russian issues. In this type of activity, Il Tumen can take part as an organization. Or the initiative may come from individual deputies.
In particular, the State Assembly of Yakutia has the right of legislative initiative in the Federal Assembly. In addition, Il Tumen appoints one of his representatives to the Federation Council.
Current activities
Currently, Il Tumen is solving a number of important issues that play a significant role in the further development of Yakutia.
In particular, there is an active discussion of the planned amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Sakha. These amendments will concern the specification of the name of the republic in the Yakut language, the procedure for appointing a prosecutor, the work of the Constitutional Court, as well as some other issues.
In addition, Il Tumen takes an active part in the discussion and amendment of the federala draft law on the allocation of a “Far Eastern hectare” to every resident of the Far East or those wishing to move there. With its active position on this issue, the State Assembly of Yakutia compares favorably with other regional legislative bodies of Russia.
Meaning of the State Assembly of Yakutia
It is difficult to overestimate the importance that the State Assembly of the Republic of Sakha has for the self-government of the region, as well as the designation of the statehood of this territory. It is on the shoulders of Il Tumen that the responsibility for the development of Yakutia and the welfare of its population is largely entrusted. The State Assembly of Yakutia solves many economic, organizational, social and cultural issues of primary importance for the region.
Besides, Il Tumen is responsible for representing the Republic of Sakha at the federal level. He exercises these powers through representation in the Federation Council, as well as through the possibility of legislative initiative in the Federal Assembly.
As you can see, the functions and powers of the State Assembly of the Republic of Sakha are quite voluminous and multifaceted, which indicates the great importance of this legislative body both for Yakutia and for the Russian Federation as a whole. The good news is that, unlike many other regional structures in Russia, this body performs its tasks not formally, but with full responsibility, taking an active part in solving local and all-Russian issues.
