It was expected that Vladimir Putin would introduce a bill on the formation of a united Irkutsk region to the State Duma in September. However, this never happened. The referendum on the unification of the Irkutsk region and the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug, recalls Kommersant, was held back in April 2006, and its result was positive. The reason for the delay in unification was numerous contradictions between the regional authorities, as well as conflict situations within the regional elites, who could not share the privileges of the Center.