and languages of the peoples of Russia are being maintained.

The Tatarstan Education Ministry plans to promote the establishment of basic Tatar schools in Russia's regions, he said.

Communist Leader Speaks Out Against Putin, Chubais...Aleksandr Salii, leader of the Tatarstan branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, told "Zvezda povolzhya" weekly on 8 May that, if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not remove from political and financial power all those who helped bring him to power, then he will become a superficial person. Salii added that Putin is attractive in appearance, but lacks backbone.

The Communist leader also said the country is ruled by Anatolii Chubais, the head of Unified Energy Systems, Russia's power monopoly. "Chubais is the greatest evil in our country," Salii asserted.

...Says Seleznev Could Be Communists'Presidential Candidate...Salii said in the same interview that if Gennadii Seleznev left his post as chairman of the Russian State Duma to head the Communist faction in the Duma, then he would become a real leftist candidate in the next presidential election. Salii said Seleznev had more potential than current Communist Party leader Gennadii Zyuganov and that he also had good relations with a number of regional governors.

...And Predicts Strong Showing By Communists In Next Tatarstan ElectionsSalii also claimed that his party received no less than 50 percent of the votes in all Tatarstan elections since 1996.

He predicted that eight to 10 Communist Party members will be elected on the party list to the Tatarstan State Council in the next elections and that several candidates will be elected