INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
two-tier system of local governance and consolidate power under a centralized structure.Regional head Valentin Konovalov, a member of the
Communist Party, accused regional lawmakers from the ruling United Russia party of trying to undermine local self-governance
His own party unanimously opposed the proposed changes.Federal lawmakers passed legislation in March allowing regions to dissolve lower-tier
municipal governments and shift to a single-tier system
on the bill and hold public hearings.The federal reform, amended more than 1,000 times since its introduction in 2021, was expected to
regions projected to adopt the single-tier structure.
