Like every state formation within the Russian Federation, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) uses its right to self-government. One of the ways of expressing this right is the existence of its own legislative body, which is the State Assembly (Il Tumen). This institution solves a number of important tasks that guarantee the fulfillment of self-government functions in the territory of this 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 is the Republic of Sakha. Then the first president of Yakutia was elected.
But the legislative body of the republic arose much later, only in 1993. Since then, Il Tuman has had five convocations, and the last election was held in 2013.
The Republican Parliament building is located in the center of the capital of the Republic of Sakha, the 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.
Il Tumen’s powers 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 in 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 National Assembly Il Tumen of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) has the right to express distrust to the government and the president of the region. The head of Yakutia, appointed by the president of Russia, must necessarily get the approval of the local parliament. In the opposite case, the head of the Russian Federation will be forced to submit another candidacy of the regional leader for consideration by the State Assembly.
In addition, only the parliament has the right to decide on the territorial borders of Yakutia, appoint magistrates, establish the procedure for holding local referenda and elections, etc.
Parliament structure
Il Tumen of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is a unicameral parliament. It consists of seventy deputies who elect from among themselves a chairman and three of his deputies.
For more productive work, the deputies create 14 specialized committees: budget, control, agrarian policy, family and youth affairs, etc. In addition, there is a regulatory and credentials committee.
Chairman and Vice Presidents
Chairman Il Tumen is elected by a simple majority of deputies. His tasks include managing this parliamentary body and representing it in relations with other organizations and structures. Currently, since October 2013, the duties of the chairman have been performed by deputy A. N. Zhirkov. He is a native of Yakutia and represents the United Russia party. He was a deputy of the local parliament of all convocations, and previously was engaged in teaching. Until October 2013, the post of chairman was occupied by the same party Zhirkov - 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 whatever reason, the chairman is absent. Il Tuman, even in this case, does not stop working.
Deputy corps
As mentioned above, the deputy corps consists of 70 deputies. Currently, 52 of them are in the United Russia fraction, 9 in the Just Russia party, and another 5 in the Communist Party. 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, one should note such names as A. A. Akimov, M. S. Gabyshev, S. S. Ivanov, S. A. Larionov, D. V. Savvin. All these are quite famous deputies. Il Tumen is 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 scene. So, the leader of the regional branch of the Communist Party, Viktor Gubarev, who is also the deputy head of the State Assembly of the Republic of Sakha, paid an official visit to the unrecognized republic of the DPR in the summer of 2015. After the trip, he called on Russia to recognize the state sovereignty of the DPR and LPR.
Election procedure
Elections in Il Thuman occur once every five years. The last time they were held in September 2013, and before that 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-mandate constituencies. In this case, voters vote for a particular person. The other half of the members of the State Assembly are elected according to the lists of electoral associations and blocs. In this case, voters vote for a party organization or bloc. On the basis of republican results, each bloc that overcomes a certain barrier in the elections receives the 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. Priority is given to those candidates who are at the top of the list.
Any citizen of Russia who has reached the age of 21 years and who has the right to vote can be elected to the deputies of the Republic of Sakha. Those who have reached the age of 18 years, having Russian citizenship and registration in any settlement of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) have the right to vote.
The next election in Il Tumen will be held in 2018.
Activities at the national level
The State Assembly of Yakutia, like any regional legislative body, has the right to participate in resolving all-Russian issues. In this type of activity, Il Tumen can participate 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 activity
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 changes and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Sakha. These amendments will concern the clarification 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 federal bill on the allocation of the “Far Eastern hectare” to each resident of the Far East or who wants to move there. The State Assembly of Yakutia compares favorably with its active position on this issue from other regional legislative bodies of Russia.
The value 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 Il Tumen’s shoulders who are largely responsible for the development of Yakutia and the welfare of its population. The State Assembly of Yakutia resolves many economic, organizational, social and cultural issues of primary importance to the region.
In addition, Il Tumen has the responsibility to represent 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 of Russia, this body does not fulfill its tasks formally, but with full responsibility, taking a lively part in resolving issues of a local and national scale.