Honor board

Murtaza Rakhimov

For courage and cunning

The 75-year-old president of Bashkiria last week laid bare the whole truth about the party in power. Here are just selected quotes: “the level of centralization is even worse than in Soviet times”; “Let's take the State Duma. Is this parliament? It's embarrassing to watch! The population laughs... when they vote in an empty hall, as if they were playing a piano”; It’s impossible “for one party to dictate,” and besides, “people who haven’t even commanded three chickens are trying to rule it.” The response from United Russia came immediately and also in an insulting form. “At a certain age, some brain reactions occur late,” said Andrei Isaev, a State Duma deputy who has made a dizzying party career in recent years. Isaev demands that Rakhimov be expelled from United Russia and denies him any support as president of Bashkiria. By the way, perhaps here lies the source of Rakhimov’s courage, who, after 16 years at the helm of the republic, is forced to leave, but wants to loudly slam the door. On June 11, the Assembly of Peoples of the Republic is ready to raise the issue of greater autonomy. And that’s all Rakhimov needs: who else will protect the capital of the son of the Urals, who is on the Forbes list with $850 million?