The head of the republic of Bashkiria, Rustem Khamitov, is a rather interesting person. This is evidenced even by the fact that the federal media speak and write about it almost as much as the regional ones. How does he attract everyone's attention? Let's try to figure it out together.
Childhood
Rustem Zakievich Khamitov was born in the village of Drachenino of the Kemerovo region on August 18, 1954.
Rustem Khamitov's father - Zaki Salimovich Khamitov - was a professor, doctor of technical sciences, honored engineer of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Mother, Raisa Siniyatulovna, worked as a teacher of mathematics. She was always next to her husband, and at the very beginning of family life she went after him to the Kemerovo region, where he worked in a mine, and then raised the virgin soil. The couple lived in the small village of Drachenino for 5 years, and two children were born there (Rustem has a younger brother - Rashid). After the Khamitov family returned back to Bashkiria.
The biography of Rustem Khamitov as a whole is no different from the biography of an average Russian resident.
He graduated from a regular secondary school in Ufa. He studied well, in the certificate there was only one four - in English.
The boy was fond of sports: he practiced at the stadium, attended the gymnastics section, in which he had the first adult rank.
The dream to follow in his father's footsteps and become an engineer led him to the country's largest engineering university.
In 1971, he went to Moscow. Despite the persuasion of his mother, his father did not go with him, deciding that his son was already quite old and independent. The young man first entered the Moscow Technical University. N.E. Bauman. But studying was no longer as easy as at school. Basically, the young man received triples and fours. In 1977, he graduated from the university, receiving a diploma in "Engines of aircraft".
From assistant master to head of scientific department
Immediately after graduation, Rustem Khamitov decided to return to his homeland. He got a job first as an assistant foreman, and then as a foreman at the Ufa Engine-Building Production Association.
In 1978, he moved to work at the Ufa Aviation Institute and "rose" to a senior research fellow.
From 1986 to 1988, he was the head of the laboratory for ground-based use of aircraft engines, and from 1998 to 1990, the scientific-production department of VNIIST.
The road to politics
Khamitov’s political career began with the election of his deputy in the Supreme Council of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1990. Three years later, he was appointed director of the Institute of Applied Ecology and Nature Management of Bashkortostan, was engaged in the implementation of environmental programs of a regional scale, and also developed the concept of environmental and industrial safety of the republic.
Further career developed rapidly:
- From 1994 to 1996, Khamitov headed the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Bashkortostan, after which he was appointed Minister of Emergency Situations and a member of the Security Council of Bashkortostan.
- In 2000, Rustem Zakievich was appointed the chief federal inspector for the Republic of Bashkortostan, and since 2002 - acting deputy representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Volga region.
- In 2004 - became the head of Rosvodresursy, and since 2009 - the Deputy Chairman of the Board of RusHydro.
- In 2010, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Khamitov the interim President of the republic, and subsequently signed a decree recognizing him as president. Rustem Khamitov twice combined this position with the post of Prime Minister.
- In September 2014, he was re-elected for a second term.
Nationality and religion
By nationality, Rustem Khamitov is a Bashkir. He considers the Bashkir language to be his native, but he also speaks Russian perfectly. Speaks English fluently.
Rustem Zakirovich professes Islam. During his first trip to Saudi Arabia as President of Bashkortostan in 2011, Khamitov made a death, a small hajj to Mecca.
Personal life
Khamitov’s family is small: his wife, two children and grandchildren. With his wife, Gulshat Gafurovna, he was familiar from childhood. And they got married almost immediately after Rustem Zakirovich returned from Baumanka. Together, the couple has been over 35 years old. By profession, Gulshat Gafurovna is a doctor of functional diagnostics. Now she devotes all the time to the charity fund "Marhamat", of which she is president.
The son and daughter of Rustem Khamitov live in Moscow. Kamil Rustemovich, an engineer by training, now works at RusHydro, and his daughter Nuria runs a tourism business.
In 2011, Khamitov first became a grandfather. Now he already has three grandchildren.
A photo of Rustem Khamitov with his family rarely becomes public.
All of Khamitov’s relatives are ordinary people. Among them are teachers, doctors, workers. For example, Khamitov’s brother - Rashid - works as a driver in Ufa, he dreamed about this profession since childhood and is not going to change anything.
According to Rustem Zakirovich himself, his family does not seek wealth. She speaks about the modest requests of her and her spouse.
Let's see if his income testifies to this.
Income
According to data for 2016, the income for 12 months of the head of Bashkiria amounted to 7.17 million rubles (half a million less than in 2015).
The spouse's income for the same period is 123 thousand rubles (for 2015 - only 15,000).
Rustem Khamitov owns a plot of 3.7 hundred square meters and a residential building of 25.7 square meters. m., and his wife - an apartment of 120.5 square meters. m
The couple also has a service apartment with an area of 79.9 square meters. m and cottage - 444 square meters. m
There is something to say thanks
The positive aspects of coming to the management of Bashkortostan Rustem Khamitov are as follows:
- GDP grew almost 2 times between 2010 and 2014, ahead of Russia's average;
- the influx of investment in the region has noticeably increased;
- the international rating of the republic has changed from stable to positive;
- The National Procurement Transparency Rating moved Bashkortostan from 34th to 2nd place in the Guaranteed Transparency indicator.
Rustem Zakirovich has repeatedly noted that he loves his native republic, its population and nature. He claims that he has visited all corners of Bashkiria and has many friends among ordinary people.
Accusations
In the regional and federal media, there are often reports of illegal actions by the head of Bashkiria. Here are some of them:
- In 2013, Sergei Mironov, the leader of A Just Russia, accused him of falsifying the results of parliamentary elections. As a result, they almost accepted the resignation of Rustem Khamitov. This would be the first case of the removal of the head of the republic.
- A number of public figures in Bashkiria, led by Azamat Galin, accused Khamitov of causing damage to the regional budget in the amount of 68 billion rubles as a result of the approval of the deal to merge the assets of Soda and Caustic.
- All the same persons charged Rustem Zakirovich with harming the environment and forest destruction because of the building permit granted by Kronoshpan-Bashkortostan LLC.
- Some experts believe that with the advent of Rustem Khamitov in the region, the level of corruption has sharply increased. It is not possible to quantify this level, but the growth of public debt can be recorded. During the first term of Khamitov, he grew by more than 60%.
- Rustem Zakirovich was also accused of illegally allocating funds for the celebration of the anniversary of the Supreme Court of the Republic, equating this to bribery of the judiciary.
Resignation
In connection with the numerous accusations against the head of Bashkiria, the most discussed topic in the region was the question of whether Rustem Zakirovich Khamitov would resign in 2017.
Almost everyone who starts a conversation about the possible resignation of the head of Bashkiria comes to the conclusion that this will not happen, despite the "personnel cleansing" in the republic.
Federal experts assessing the stability of the work of the heads of regions attributed Khamitov to the "yellow" list of governors.
In total, they identified three such groups:
- green, here are those who have nothing to fear;
- red, consisting of governors who will be dismissed with a high degree of probability;
- yellow, which includes the heads of regions, whose chances of remaining in their place are estimated as 50/50.
The following facts play into Khamitov’s hand:
- Good connection with the federal center.
- Availability of plans for the future of the region (in 2019, Bashkortostan will turn 100 years old. Many projects are timed to coincide with this event, including the construction of several large facilities).
- Attractiveness of the republic for business (large businessmen are in no hurry to “wind down their business” and move to the capital or St. Petersburg, as in neighboring regions).
- Own style of behavior and strict adherence to it.
- Ability to manage (experts do not call him a clear leader, but they also note flaws in the management style).
The following arguments work in favor of resignation:
- Khamitov has conflicts with some federal politicians and big businessmen.
- Dissatisfaction with the work of the head of the region is expressed by ordinary residents and the elite of Bashkortostan.
- A little more than a year is left until the next elections (they will be held already in 2019), which also increases the chances of resignation, according to experts.
Like any politician, Rustem Khamitov has many supporters and opponents. An objective assessment of the work of a politician will be possible only after some time. For now, it remains to hope that Bashkiria will flourish and develop regardless of who comes to power.