Filling the Position of the Local Administration Head by Competition: Russias Experience

Abstract

The position of the head of the local administration, in whose hands is the management of the activities of the executive and administrative body for resolving issues of local importance and the implementation of certain state powers and other powers of local self-government, occupies a special place in the organizational system of local self-government. The article considers the necessity and validity of the introduction of an organizational model into Russian local self-government, which provides for the filling of the position of the head of the local administration on the basis of a competition. The history of the competition and the position experience of introducing professional managers into the local government system is given, the genesis of the development of the issue in Russian legislation is investigated. Various circumstances are pointed out that prevent a positive assessment of the competition for the filling of a key position of local self-government by the scientific community and municipal practitioners (municipalities lack the right to independently make a decision on the application of the competitive election of the head of the municipality or the appointment of the head of the local administration, the actual non-participation of the population in the procedure of filling the position, which contradicts the nature of local self-government, and others). Taking into account the types of municipalities, the statistical data of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation are analyzed for the actual implementation of organizational models provided by the municipality using a competition to fill the position of the head of the local administration. The features and disadvantages of the competition as a way of electing the head of a municipality are considered. The article formulates proposals for improving legislation in the direction of unification of competitive procedures and requirements of professionalism and competence for candidates for the position of head of a municipality and head of a local administration.