The authorities of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) have drafted another set of amendments to the regional constitution in order to align it with federal law. The proposal was presented in late September by a constitutional commission formed by regional head Aisen Nikolaev. It includes Nikolaev himself, the republic’s prosecutor, the chairs of Yakutia’s supreme and constitutional courts, and representatives of the regional parliament, Il Tumen.
Yakutia will retain its two-tier local self-government system, which is practically important in a region where settlements can be separated by vast distances. Even so, many residents and local commentators described the draft as undemocratic. Journalist and civic activist Vitaly Obedin noted that the new version removes guarantees of free secondary vocational education on a competitive basis, as well as the provision requiring parents to ensure that a child completes full secondary schooling, meaning 11 grades.
Critics also say the head of the republic would no longer be obliged to interact with public associations. In addition, the text reduces the powers of local self-government and removes the explicit reference to municipal leaders being elected. State Duma deputy and former Yakutsk mayor Sardana Avksentyeva said the amendments were not merely technical adjustments but a move toward eliminating direct elections of local heads and mayors.
“This is a quiet constitutional revolution aimed at excluding any possibility of direct elections of heads and mayors,” Avksentyeva wrote.
Yakut activists who left Russia also link the reform to a redistribution of control over natural resources. According to Vilyuya Choinova, wording on sovereign control over subsoil resources is being removed from the constitution and replaced with more neutral language stating that resources are used in the interests of the republic’s residents and of Russia under federal law. Activists also fear that the education-related changes will accelerate the decline of teaching in the languages of Indigenous peoples.
On October 10, public hearings on the amendments were held in Yakutsk. Slightly fewer than one hundred people attended, and the session was streamed openly online. The hearing lasted about three hours; according to Obedin, supporters of the changes were given the floor more often than opponents. Members of the A Just Russia and New People factions also spoke against the amendments, but the final decision will be made by Il Tumen, where United Russia holds the majority.