Leonid Roketsky, chair of the local self-government committee in the Federation Council, or parliament's upper house, pointed out in a RIA interview that governments of every level should once again be reminded of their responsibility for compliance with laws defining the institutional reform. So far, not all of Russia's regional governments have been conscientious enough in implementing the law on general principles guiding the organization of government bodies in Federation member states.
Kuzbass Governor Aman Tuleyev also expressed hope that President Putin's State-of-the-Union address would touch on local self-government reform. "Although the ideas underlying the reform are valid, regions should be given the authority to apply and effect it more flexibly," he pointed out. Regional and local governments should also be provided with enough money to translate the reform into reality, as otherwise the public will not be able to benefit from it, he added.
Yuri Sharandin, Chair of the Constitutional Legislation Committee in the Federation Council, expects President Putin to pay some attention to partisan development in Russia. Russian laws on political parties are becoming increasingly precise, Sharandin noted in a RIA interview. He also expressed hope that the parliamentary party majority would have more say in forming the Cabinet and shaping its policies.
Anatoli Aksakov, Vice Chair of the Duma Committee for Crediting Institutions and Financial Markets, said he expected Putin's State-of-the-Union address to deal with the search for instruments to accelerate economic growth. He also expects the head of state to identify some of the problems facing Russian small businesses, which he believes are the driving force behind economic growth.
Vadim Gustov, Chair of the Federation Council Committee for CIS Affairs, expects this year's State-of-the-Union address to contain a section on Russia's relations with other countries of the Former Soviet Union. He deems it necessary to develop a holistic approach to the organization of cooperation between border areas. In Gustov's view, the cross-border cooperation bill put together by the Duma is at odds with the Cabinet's stance. He therefore expressed hope that President Putin would try and persuade the executive branch to look at the matter from a different perspective.
As the Kremlin press service reported earlier, President Putin will deliver his State-of-the-Union address to the Federal Assembly on April 25.
