Opponents of the Irkutsk communist governor are wishful thinking
During his visit to the Irkutsk region, which suffered from severe flooding, President Vladimir Putin criticized the actions of the federal authorities in the person of Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, and not the head of the region, communist governor Sergei Levchenko. Political scientist Dmitry Rodionov writes about this on his blog, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to the expert, the governor’s critics are rejoicing early, suggesting that Levchenko’s days as head of the region are numbered.
“Of course, critics of Governor Sergei Levchenko are now intensifying, who from the very beginning of the disaster have been waging a campaign against him in order to hang all the dogs on him. Well, the president himself criticized it. However, they are unlikely to pay attention to the fact that the president did not specify who exactly he was criticizing, and, given that the comments were made after Vitaly Mutko’s report, it is not difficult to guess that it was the work of the federal center that was criticized first of all. In addition, municipal authorities play a huge role in the overall work, among whom are entirely United Russia members, who strive in everything to put a spoke in the wheels of the regional authorities, who are actually doing something,” notes Rodionov.
The political scientist emphasizes that Governor Levchenko has shown himself to be a good manager, helping residents deal with the consequences of the emergency:
“Funds are allocated to the victims, houses are being restored. In addition, the governor, unlike some “young technocrat” who would sit waiting for a command from Moscow, not daring to take any independent action, actively takes the initiative, demonstrating interest not in a formal, but in an effective solution to the issue. Here it is enough to recall the decision to send children from affected families to Crimea. And the regional government also decided to increase financing for the purchase of housing through preferential mortgage lending. But will they remember this when it’s all over? Or will the “party in power” again pull the blanket over itself, presenting victory over the consequences of the disaster as its own merit?”
Well-known publicist Israel Shamir agrees with Rodionov in his blog. In his opinion, Putin gave out a general scolding so that officials “wouldn’t relax”: “I think this is Putin on purpose so that they all don’t relax and work harder. And if he had praised them, they would have gone on vacation. And so - they work, build houses, distribute benefits. The governor is trying, he plans to run for a new term next year. Will build communism in one specific area. Well, that's a good idea! And Putin’s working visit was efficient - he met with people, heard the voice of the people, reassured conspiracy theorists - they say that there were no explosions in the Sayan Mountains, and deforestation needs to be slowed down. And this is right after the meeting with the Pope, before the elections in Kyiv - he is a strong-willed Russian president. If only he had learned to get along with the communists, he would have been good to everyone.”
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