URALIC Beatis a new collaboration project between URALIC Centre and the social network URALISTICA, which aims to bring to English speakers world the most important stories from the Finno-Ugric and wider Uralic world, i.e., the indigenous Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic peoples. Right now we are planning to issue the URALIC Beat newsletter on a monthly basis, but this may change in the future, including depending on our readers’ feedback. The first edition of URALIC Beatfeatures stories about elections in Komi Republic, 1-year commemoration of Albert Razin’s political suicide, publication of a book about modern Udmurt culture and a report of this year’s Seto Kingdom Day held in Kolossova village, Setomaa (Estonia).
KOMI: Regional elections in Komi Republic gave voice to ethnic Komi activists
On 13 September, elections on different levels were held across Russia. Among them were elections of the chief executive of Komi Republic and elections of the Komi Republic’s regional parliament. The winner of the race for the Komi’s top position, Vladimir Uyba, was recently appointed by the Russian president Vladimir Putin. He was sent to Komi Republic at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic and very poor performance of the previous authorities. He tried to show himself as a close person to local Komi people saying that he has an Estonian ethnic background. During the campaign he also was supportive to some opposition agenda like the prevention of the construction of landfill at Shies station just 100 km from the Komi Republic’s capital Syktyvkar and reallocation of tax revenues in favour of Komi Republic instead of the federal budget. Uyba got 73,16% of the votes. His major opponent, leader of the local section of the Russian Communist Party Oleg Mikhaylov was not allowed to run in the elections. On 23 September on inauguration ceremony Uyba also took the oath in Komi language.
Elections to the regional parliament were more competitive. Komi Parliament has only 30 seats and the competition was very intensive. A few Komi activists also participated through different parties and independently, thus making Komi agenda more visible and the voice of Komi people louder. Komi linguist Marina Fedina, head of Komi Voytyr in Syktyvkar, together with her deputy, young political activist Nikolay Udoratin participated in a rally under the umbrella of Communist Party. Head of Komi Voytyr, Alexey Gabov, also participated in the same district where his colleagues were running. Finally, this district was won by an ethnic Russian Vladimir Kosov, former deputy speaker of the parliament, well-known oncologist, and member of the ruling ‘United Russia’ party.
Another prominent Komi figure, ex-leader of the Komi Youth Association ‘MI’ Yana Sazhina ran as an independent candidate for 13th district but lost her battle. Komi candidates from the opposition, like Fedina and Udoratin, were promoting local pro-Komi agenda, and raised attention to the catastrophic situation of Komi language, ecological problems, poverty and disparity in the region. Thanks to their participation this agenda gained more attention and allowed them to express the aspirations of thousands of local people, both Komi and non-Komi, to have their own region-centered politics instead of the Moscow-centered one. Ultimately, 6 of the 30 seats of the Komi parliament were taken by ethnic Komis.
UDMURTIA: One year since Albert Razin’s political suicide actin Udmurtia: has anything changed?
