The President's Representatives

Abstract

From the outset, the creation of administrative mechanisms capable of ensuring uniformity of state policy throughout the country's territory has been a top priority for the Russian federal government. One such mechanism has been the institution of presidential representatives [predstaviteli prezidenta], established immediately after the August 1991 putsch in the krais, oblasts, autonomous oblasts, autonomous okrugs, and the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Although this institution, which the press often calls the "eye of the state," has already been functioning for more than a year, its contours remain blurred and vague, while the country's political life has been marked by turbulence. An almost total absence of relevant analytical studies makes it difficult to interpret the experience of the president's representatives within the broader context of Russian federalization, to define the most important problems, and, finally, to assess the institution's prospects.