THE INSTITUTE OF VILLAGE ELDERS IN CHUVASHIA: HISTORY OF FORMATION AND ACTIVITY

The article deals with the issues concerning formation of the institute of the elders and the role of village elders in the functioning of the local government system in modern Chuvashia. For a region where the share of rural population in the total population is quite high, the study of this topic is in demand. The article briefly covers the main aspects in the development of the rural community and the state policy in rural areas. The analysis of this topic coverage in domestic and regional historiography is carried out. The main attention is paid to the history of forming the institute of village elders, the characteristics of the legal status and functions of village elders, and the main forms of their activities are shown. The village elders and organization of their activities in the 1990s were caused by the need to represent the interests of the population in the authorities of different levels. At the first stages, their functioning was initiated by the residents of villages themselves. Subsequently, the regional authorities and municipalities also began to deal with the organization and legal regulation of village elders’ activities. Legislative formalisation of village elders’ institute at the state and regional level took place in 2018. The practical activities of Chuvashia village elders cover most issues of developing and improving rural territories, they are the main assistants of local authorities and guarantee of public territorial self-government in rural areas. At the same time, alienation of rural residents from solving issues of rural society was noted, for this purpose, the materials of a sociological population survey were used. It is shown that formation of the institute of elders and regulation of their activities in the republic took place on the basis of rural elders’ practical work, the analysis of the experience of interaction with local self-government bodies and taking into account the experience of other regions. At present stage, interaction with the republican authorities at various levels is being improved. The empirical basis of the article is made up of official documents, legislative acts, media materials, and the results of public surveys.