The head of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, confirmed to the media that he would soon resign. The reason he calls his age - 71 years. What Mr. Abdulatipov intends to do in the future, he did not answer. Officially, the presidential decree on resignation has not yet been published.

“I will submit my resignation,” said the head of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, in an interview with the “Moscow Speaks” radio station. “Most likely, today. What's next? I will return somewhere if I am alive and healthy. I have a very wide range of interests in this regard. Mr. Abdulatipov named his age as the reason for this decision (August 4, the head of the republic turned 71), making it clear that this decision was made not by him, but by the administration of the President of Russia (AP). "The reasons for the resignation - the age has come, 71 years old already," he said.

Rumors about the impending resignation accompanied Ramazan Abdulatipov throughout his entire term in office. In February of this year, speaking with a report to the deputies of the People's Assembly, he even spoke about the "Abdulatipov paradox", which was formulated by "one of the federal officials." When asked by the head of the republic what kind of paradox this is, the official replied that all the time he worked in Dagestan, rumors about his resignation did not stop: “You achieve positive dynamics within three to four years, but you have already been fired 48 times.” “Today's number is 52 times,” said Mr. Abdulatipov. “It's useless, guys, don't do it! This is not assigned to you.

The president of the country, the chairman of the government of the country, even Allah, inshallah, treat me normally - look at the weather, eh! We do not solve these issues, it is not delegated to us,” he added.

Julia Rybina, Makhachkala

After the release of the RBC material, Abdulatipov confirmed in an interview with Govorit Moskva that he was resigning. “I will be submitting my resignation. Most likely today. What's next? I will return somewhere if I am alive and healthy. I have a very wide palette of interests in this regard, ”he said. On Komsomolskaya Pravda Radio, Abdulatipov said that he was offered the position of Russia's representative in the Organization of the Islamic Conference, but he refused. “I don't want to go abroad. And so I will probably be a professor somewhere, ”he said.

“The Kremlin has taken a course towards rejuvenating personnel, and in order to stay at this course in office, an aged person needs to be super-efficient,” Nikolai Mironov, director of the Center for Economic and Political Reforms, commented to RBC. According to the political scientist, Abdulatipov has been a public politician, scientist, teacher, parliamentarian all his life, but not a manager, and this has affected the quality of government in the republic. “Many were dissatisfied with his personnel policy, it infringed on individual clans. There were no breakthroughs in the economy. It didn't work and just put things in order. In general, power under Abdulatipov was not strong and effective, the political scientist argues. “The person turned out to be not quite in the role he was ready for, but Dagestan is generally difficult to manage, just as it is difficult to find a common language with all ethnic groups.”

Ramazan Abdulatipov was appointed acting head of Dagestan in January 2013, in September of the same year, deputies of the People's Assembly elected him head of the republic. In the 2016 efficiency rating of the heads of Russian regions compiled by the Civil Society Development Fund, Ramazan Abdulatipov received a “very high rating” and shared 18-19th places with the head of St. Petersburg, Georgy Poltavchenko.

Dagestan under Abdulatipov

The GRP growth of Dagestan under Abdulatipov slowed down: in 2013-2014, the annual growth was 6.3%, in 2015 it decreased to 4.7%, and the estimate for 2016 is 3.5%.

The average per capita cash income of the population in Dagestan in 2013-2016 increased by 30.5%, to 28,348 rubles. per month. Expenses for the same period increased by 32%, to 24,690.4 rubles. per month.

The average size of assigned pensions in the republic in 2013-2016 increased by 88%, to 14,680.1 rubles. The rise in consumer prices over the same period amounted to almost 40%. At the same time, the share of the population with monetary incomes below the subsistence level in 2013-2016 increased from 10.1 to 10.9%. Unemployment in 2013-2016 decreased from 11.6% to 10.1% of the economically active population.

The day before, RBC sources surrounded by the head of Dagestan denied the Vedomosti newspapers about his possible resignation, saying that such reports have been appearing for four years and have not yet been confirmed. According to an RBC source close to Abdulatipov, rumors about the imminent resignation of the head of Dagestan have been appearing since September 2013, when he was appointed to this position. “We call it the Abdulatipov phenomenon,” the source said. “So far, not a single such rumor has been confirmed,” he said.

At the same time, the interlocutor of RBC said that Abdulatipov is now on a two-week vacation. “If the resignation was being prepared, then the head of the republic would undoubtedly be aware of his own resignation, since he would have been warned, and he would hardly have gone on vacation,” another source close to the republic’s administration told RBC. According to him, if a decision had been made, there would have been panic. “Half of the local administration still communicates with Magomedsalam (Magomedov, the former head of Dagestan, now holding the position of deputy head of the presidential administration. — RBC), while he sits in the Kremlin and would probably signal to his people. But there is no panic here,” the interlocutor said.

One of RBC's sources added that the head of Dagestan was completely sure that he would be warned about the resignation in advance and allowed to work it out in the media, but in the end the call to the Kremlin came as a shock to him and his entourage.

A RBC source close to the leadership of the region said that a combination of factors influenced the resignation. “Extremely low rating - according to measurements, a maximum of 16% of the region's residents approved of Abdulatipov's activities, and over 70% of the population were in one way or another negatively disposed towards him. Numerous conflicts that were of an economic nature, but could result in interethnic confrontation. A strong corrupt atmosphere in Dagestan, the minister of housing and communal services, age - on the eve of the presidential election, all these factors turned out to be unacceptable for Moscow, and the Kremlin made a decision, ”the RBC source listed. According to him, because of the risk of Abdulatipov's possible resignation, many republican officials sabotaged the decisions made by the head of Dagestan, fearing that they would cause disapproval from his possible successor.

Abdulatipov's career

Ramazan Abdulatipov was born in 1946 in Dagestan. After receiving a medical education and serving as a doctor in the army, he worked for some time as the head of the first-aid post at the plant, and in 1974 began his party career in the propaganda and agitation department of the CPSU district committee. In the 1970s, he graduated in absentia from the history department of the Dagestan State University and did postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Leningrad State University, after which he worked in Murmansk for almost ten years, where he held various positions at the Murmansk Higher Marine Engineering School and in the agitation and propaganda department of the Murmansk Regional Committee of the CPSU.

In 1988, Abdulatipov moved to party work in Moscow, and in 1990 he was elected a people's deputy of the RSFSR and headed the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR. In the early 1990s, Abdulatipov was first deputy chairman of the Federation Council, and then a deputy of the State Duma.

In 1997-1998, as Deputy Prime Minister under Viktor Chernomyrdin and Sergei Kiriyenko, he oversaw national issues and the development of local self-government, and in 1998-1999 he was Minister of National Policy and a Minister without a portfolio, after which he returned to the Federation Council. In 2005-2009, Abdulatipov was the Russian ambassador to Tajikistan. In 2011, he returned to the State Duma, where he was a member of the United Russia faction, and in 2013 he headed Dagestan.

Earlier, RBC sources in the Kremlin about the possible imminent resignation of about ten heads of regions as part of the course to change the governor's corps and form a new generation of managers. This week the governor of the Nizhniy Novgorod region , the head of the Krasnoyarsk region Viktor , and the governor of the Samara region have already resigned . A 40-year-old deputy minister of industry and trade was appointed acting governor of Nizhny Novgorod, a 47-year-old senator headed the Samara region.

It seems that Abdulatipov's resignation should be discussed, but the feeling is strange. Some awkwardness is felt. It’s as if some kind of children’s and youth performance “about how to be good” has ended, which ones they took at school, as obligatory educational ones ... And now they demand to write an essay “for city work” based on what they have watched.

And there is nothing to write!

The play is completely fake, the actors played according to the order - with pathetic monologues and stilted mise-en-scenes. The audience knew in advance who is good, who is bad and who will read the moral at the end, and what kind of moralizing vulgarity will sound.

Everything is known and shameful, but you have to sit and watch - the parents have paid the money, the order has come from the RONO, and the director of the school is carefully watching so that they don’t talk in the hall, don’t play cards, don’t sleep and don’t run away from watching.

Such unbearable and awkward were the last one and a half - two years of Abdulatipov's reign - it was clear that everything, the end, did not belong to him and his family with servants and sycophants at the head of Dagestan. That his presence in the republic is unbearable.

That impudent corruption and extortion, which every Dagestani knows about, has reached the limit and exceeded it.

That the lies and deceit of the federal center about the situation in the republic are obvious to anyone who takes the trouble to simply look at Dagestan with open eyes, and not from the pages of the "federal media" bought by Abdulatipov's PR people.

And the picture with Putin on horseback in the Akhulgo memorial, and the costume a la Stalin on his own anniversary, and all these praises of court hymnsers about the great philosopher and scientist who freed the Dagestanis from slavery at the beginning and the joke about "greening the governor's staff" at the end and much more they simply set off the burnt and unrestored, despite promises, houses of Mokok, statements about tens of thousands of accomplices of terrorists (lists of illegal accounting of observant Muslims), murdered Gasan-Huseinov boys, whose death case has not been opened and buried, manipulations with the State Duma elections, humiliating for the Kremlin , lies to Putin about allegedly investigated murders of Dagestan journalists, and much more.

His and his family's task was to earn money - as much as they could carry. Let them take it away, God bless them, if only they would go away, "to teach at a university" ..

The question is who's next?

Doesn't Dagestan deserve a modern, sane, educated leader who will assemble a team of progressive and non-corrupt Dagestanis who love their homeland, attract specialists from other regions who fundamentally refuse to rob the people and plunder the budget?

On September 27, 2017, the resignation of the head of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, took place. The politician spent four years in this post, from September 8, 2013 - first as president, and on January 1, 2014 he changed the name of the post to a more modest "head". This resignation was the 52nd in a row for Abdulatipov (that is how many times, according to the calculations of the administration of the republic, there were rumors about his resignation). But now - real and final.

I am between retirement and retirement. Today I am writing a letter of resignation, - Ramazan Abdulatipov explained the situation on the air of Komsomolskaya Pravda Radio. - It had to be done. There are some general laws. 71 years already. Landscaping is underway. Therefore, I decided to join those who are not suitable for gardening, so as not to interfere. Dagestan is now on the rise, we can talk about the way out of a severe crisis. I thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for this, he told me too. So it is very good to leave when you are thanked.

Ramazan Abdulatipov got to manage a region that is really very difficult in all respects: with an active terrorist underground, high unemployment, poorly developed infrastructure, and huge debts in the housing and communal services sector.

The politician solved the problems as best he could. But he always did it very colorfully. “KP in the North Caucasus” decided to recall the most striking statements of the resigned head of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov:

... that it's enough to feed the Caucasus

“I am ashamed to go to Putin and say that his orders are not being fulfilled. Together we brought Dagestan to such a state. The model of feeding, which was formed between the federal center and the republic. He came, he asked, he received, he ate ... He asked again - he ate again. You can't live like this!" (November 25, 2013).

... about Stalin's methods

“I'm not going to pose as president. I am 67 years old, I have depicted everything in this life that was possible. I want a republic to rise from this Middle Ages. But while people are working very sluggishly, they are pulling hard. If Stalin's times, it would be possible, of course, to send three years old to Magadan. For re-education" (November 25, 2013).

... about the old anthem of Dagestan

“The anthem reminds me of plaintive letters from the districts to the leadership. It sounds like a funeral” (September 2015).

...about the need to pay bribes

“I came across Rosobrnadzor. I myself gave a bribe to Rosobrnadzor! What are you laughing at? I was the rector of the university, it was necessary to carry out certification in a normal, human way. I had to pay a bribe. Although I have always been opposed to this. People persuaded me, they said: “We will fail. I should have given them at least a little!” (April 27, 2017).

... about attempts to ban New Year and Christmas celebrations in Dagestan

“New Year is an ancient Dagestan holiday. Those who lived far away in the mountains in childhood should remember how we gathered on the longest winter night and celebrated the holiday, performed a number of rituals, including decorating trees. This holiday does not contradict any religious dogmas. And our Christmas! And then someone starts to say that this is not our holiday. How can a believer oppose the Nativity of Christ? We consider him our prophet. And the second most important holiday, the Circumcision of the Lord, also speaks of our common roots” (December 2013).

... about the difficulties in recruiting

“Finding a normal mayor for Makhachkala turned out to be a difficult task. He put one, a man of science, on the whole he tried, but he does not know a huge economy. He set the second one, he knows everything, but he tries to work for himself a little. If only a little, right? I think that Musa Musaev also works a little for himself” (August 2, 2017).

... about non-standard ways to combat terrorism

“Photos with the faces of these traitors should be posted on the “boards of shame” in every village. The Untsukul region became famous thanks to Imams Shamil and Gazimagomed, and now it has been disgraced by Gadzhidadaev” (March 26, 2016).

...on how to fix the situation in Russian football

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Political scientists on who will replace Abdulatipov as head of Dagestan: it will be difficult to choose a candidate

"KP in the North Caucasus" asked the country's leading political scientists to comment on the resignation of the head of Dagestan, as well as express their assumptions about the future prospects of both the entire republic and the future politician ().

Four and a half years ago, the appointment of Ramazan Abdulatipov to the post of head of Dagestan, a man who enjoyed authority even in the Central Committee of the CPSU, gave hope to hundreds of thousands of residents of the republic. By the time of the sudden arrest of his predecessor Magomedsalam Magomedov, most of the Dagestanis were already very tired of poverty, unemployment, terrorist attacks and the brutally glamorous window dressing of the local administrative elite. Abdulatipov was perceived as a "Moscow" experienced politician, not much involved in the struggle of the clans, but well versed in local subtleties.

Then, at the end of January 2013, few could have imagined that a doctor of philosophy and theorist of socialism, who made a fantastic career - from a rural paramedic to deputy chairmen of the Federation Council, the government of Russia, the rector of a university of culture - would turn out to be the most criticized leader of Dagestan in the entire history of local self-government .

Unprecedented Powers

Abdulatipov was appointed and. O. President of the Republic as a proven, tough and versed in administrative work. He was given such freedom of action that even the head of neighboring Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, could not think of. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, the social and economic blocs of the Russian government were recommended to help the new head in everything. He could raise huge funds for any project. However, in the very first two years of his work, the president of Dagestan managed to cause bewilderment by his actions in almost everyone - from housewives to heads of the presidential administration.

Dagestan under Abdulatipov has become a "base" for terrorists of all stripes - from ISIS, the "Caucasus Emirate" and small armed cells of radicals.

Unlimited powers, if they were used by Abdulatipov, then not in the fight against Islamic radicalism and terrorism. During his reign, the number of residents of the republic who left to fight for the Islamic State (an organization banned in the Russian Federation) increased from one and a half hundred people to 1,200. In 2016 alone, the number of young people recruited by ISIS increased by 300 people. At the same time, local authorities almost did not control the propaganda of radicalism and terrorism among the population. During Abdulatipov's presidency, three natives of Dagestan became prominent ISIS field commanders fighting in Iraq and Syria, including against Russian units. Abu Banat (Magomed Abdurakhmanov), a native of the village of Khadzhalmakhi, who previously worked at the Dagestan Center for Combating Extremism, was fired and then left for Aleppo, where he created his own terrorist cell. Another terrorist and religious preacher is Abu Zeid (Muhammad Ahmedov). Akhmedov for a long time freely preached in dozens of villages on the territory of the republic. And after he was informed about the possible detention by the security forces, he left to “work” in Syria. Al-Bara (Chamsulvara Chamsulvaraev) is the most famous of those recruited by terrorists, and then became a field commander. Chamsulvaraev was the European champion in freestyle wrestling in 2009, the winner of the world championship. His "chip" was the recruitment of "suicide bombers".

The free existence of terrorist groups on the territory of Dagestan in recent years has been reported by all central media. But the leadership of the republic, judging by the sluggish reaction to what was happening, paid too little attention to this problem. It is not surprising that in a few months the activities of the radicals quickly spread to the territory of Chechnya and Kabardino-Balkaria. In fact, Dagestan under Abdulatipov became a "base" for terrorists of all stripes - from ISIS, the "Caucasus Emirate" and small armed cells of radicals.
At the same time, Abdulatipov complained to journalists that he was “very limited in his capabilities” on the territory of the republic. But this did not prevent his subordinates from extorting huge sums from the budget under the guise of pensions for the disabled. Representatives of the team of the President of the Republic quickly mastered this scheme, registering disability for healthy people for a fee. And even the scandal with the head of the Pension Fund of the Republic of Dagestan, Saygid Murtazaliev, who was accused of putting the issuance of permits for compensation from the state on stream, did not immediately stop the running corruption machine.

Huge posters with his portrait and wise sayings hung all over the republic, Abdulatipov's books lay in the most prominent places in the offices of local officials at all levels.

Abdulatipov's resignation was predicted at the end of 2015, and in September 2016, and even at the end of August of this year. The departure was expected primarily due to the unstable political situation that arose after he placed friends, countrymen and relatives in key positions in the republic (where 33 peoples live, each of which has its own language and traditions). "Own people" pulled up a chain of acquaintances and associates, and as a result, not a team of like-minded people, but a motley environment turned out. It turned out that the president had almost no one to rely on, both in carrying out strategically important political tasks and in solving local problems. And the political elite created by Abdulatipov did not really trust their president. Apparently, realizing that if necessary, he can turn his back on everyone except his closest associates.

The president of the republic was given all sorts of honors, huge posters with his portrait and wise sayings hung all over the republic, Abdulatipov's books lay in the most prominent places in the offices of local officials at all levels. But everyone understood that the reign of the Soviet ideologist could not be long for a number of serious reasons.

Plans and clans

The discrepancies in the words and actions of Abdulatipov were initially attributed to his attempts to solve problems with “one right side”. The first thing the new president promised was to fire all the “cheaters and bribe-takers” from the civil service. Then he said that he began to split the clans and would not allow informal relations to paralyze the system of state administration in the republic. When it came to appointments, it turned out that the “new” team consisted of eighty percent of the former officials.

Six months later, the first wave of discontent passed through the republic. Residents began to sign collective demands and petitions. And a year later, smile in response to Abdulatipov's reports about the breakthrough growth of the Dagestan economy.

cottage economy

From the republic, which has excellent agricultural and tourism potential, Moscow began to demand concrete results. But the only thing the president could boast of was the reduction in the unemployment rate due to the fact that tens of thousands of adult men were forced to leave their families and go to work in other regions of Russia. Another indicator of growth - from 2012 to 2016, the number of crimes increased by 13%. Among the negative indicators is a decrease in the birth rate by 8.4% over the same period.

The reason for the slow growth of the economy of this agrarian region was that the most fertile arable lands and pastures under Abdulatipov began to be built up with cottage settlements. The villages that previously lived off this land began to quickly become poorer, there was nowhere to work, and the youth, following the “urban” ones, left for large cities of Russia or leaned into the terrorist underground

There were also positive changes: the average salary in the republic increased by almost 40% (19 thousand rubles). And for the first time in many years, due to the federal course for import substitution, the budget of Dagestan turned out to be in surplus.

But, judging by the restrained reaction of the Kremlin, positive trends were perceived there with skepticism. And this is understandable: the republic, through which one of the busiest international transport routes in the world passes, has a huge agricultural potential due to the production of unique environmentally friendly food products, several climatic zones ideal for different types of tourism, including beach, almost does not develop the economy.

As it turned out, the reason for the slow growth of the economy of this agrarian region was that the most fertile arable land and pastures under Abdulatipov began to be built up with cottage settlements. The villages that had previously lived off this land began to quickly become poorer, there was nowhere to work, and the youth, following the “urban” ones, left for the large cities of Russia or moved into the terrorist underground.

Not an investment, but a circus?

Interest in the projects of President Abdulatipov in the Russian government faded rather quickly. Sources are silent about the reason why the republic did not receive the gigantic sums potentially allocated for it. There was talk of too much "airbag" in case of corruption. But no one has provided direct evidence of this. In any case, the Ministry of Energy refused Abdulatipov to build a plant for the production of liquefied gas.

Rosneft prevented the transfer of land on the coast of the Caspian Sea from the federal to the ownership of the republic. Gazprom has reduced the Dagestan gasification program to a negligible 5 million rubles. "RosHydro" has limited the work of re-equipment of the Dagestan hydroelectric power station and completely "covered" the construction projects of new hydroelectric power plants.

Ramazan Abdulatipov planned to spend on the circus in the coming months ... 2 billion rubles.

It is significant that all this happened against the backdrop of eccentric statements by the head of the republic regarding upcoming investments. The latest such proposal was a program to support circus arts. Ramazan Abdulatipov planned to spend on the circus in the coming months ... 2 billion rubles.

Dove of happiness and pipe of peace

“He let pigeons into the sky, talked about the basics of philosophy at the republican parent meeting, admitted that he had given a bribe to Rosobrnadzor and even lit a peace pipe with Akhvakh Indians”

Perhaps, realizing that the policy pursued in the coming months will result in resignation and there is nothing to be done about it, the president of Dagestan decided to show the people his “human face”. As they say, leave a good memory behind. Ramazan Abdulatipov let pigeons into the sky, talked about the basics of philosophy at the republican parent meeting, admitted that, and even lit a peace pipe with Akhvakh Indians.

The answer came almost immediately: two cases of illegal possession of weapons were opened against the Minister of Education of Dagestan and the head of the local OFAS, an attempt to discredit the mayor of Makhachkala by initiating a criminal case against his son

The response to all these performances of the president was rallies, appeals demanding the resignation of Abdulatipov and. Only in the last year, Dagestanis have expressed dissatisfaction with what they believe is the open sale of positions in state administration, very high mortality in maternity hospitals, and bullying of disabled children in boarding schools. The situation reached the point where Abdulatipov's appointees began to openly oppose the head of the republic. The answer came almost immediately: two cases of illegal possession of weapons were opened against the Minister of Education of Dagestan and the head of the local OFAS. There was also an attempt to discredit the mayor of Makhachkala after initiating a criminal case against his son.

Simultaneously with an attempt to "crush" the dissatisfied, criminal cases continue to be initiated against officials from Abdulatipov's entourage. Investigators accuse his proteges of a whole range of crimes: Sagid Murtazaliev, the head of the Russian Pension Fund's branch in the republic, and Andrey Vinogradov, the head of the Kizlyar district, of being involved in murders and financing terrorism; five officials of the Tarumovsky district, together with the head of the district, Marina Abramkina - in fraud and abuse of authority in the sale of a land plot. And it seems that these are only the first cases against Abdulatipov's henchmen.

The string of resignations of governors this week was expected. The fact that the list of dismissed heads of regions was compiled a few months ago has been talked about for a long time. But the list itself divides the governors into two categories: re-appointed - those who will take up their duties after the elections, and 100% retirees - those with whom it has been decided to say goodbye forever. Ramazan Abdulatipov was included in the second list. And there is nothing surprising in this.