Constitution of Tatarstan has elevated the Republic’s status, says expert

The Constitution was adopted by popular vote on 6 November 1992.

Associate Professor, expert in constitutional law Yevgeny Sultanov comments, “Before the Constitution of Tatarstan, there was no concept of a federal subject in Russia. Therefore, with regards to the emergence of the current Russian federalism, it’s a very significant act.”

Latest proposed amendments to the existing balance of powers in Russia, mainly the new concept of “a unified system of public authorities” mentioned in the amended Constitution of Russia (after the July 2020 popular vote), have caused much debate.

The interviewee has his take on the matter, “Unfortunately, many people interpret this concept as the abolition of federalism. However, the idea of the unified public authority is based on what is said in the Constitution of Russia, namely, the necessity of strict and clear designation of federal, provincial and municipal powers. A federation is built on the maximization of potential which the federal center and its provinces have. Every federal subject is unique, and that’s why we have always spoken about the importance of a treaty on the designation of purview and powers between Russia and the Republic of Tatarstan. The unity of public authority implies that this differentiation is supplemented by the idea of concerted and mutually agreed actions of all the levels of authority.”

Sultanov mentions that many ideas which first emerged in the Tatarstani constitutionalism are now used by the federation, including the stipulation that the highest official of a federal subject is at the same time the head of the provincial executive branch.

Yevgeny Sultanov was one the 75 persons invited to work on the latest – and the most sizable in history – amendments to the Constitution of Russia in 2020. They were approved by the people of Russia in July 2020.

 

Source text and photo: Rufina Gimaletdinova

Translation: Yury Nurmeev