I.Metshin: "It is important to maintain the momentum which brought Kazan to the...

(Kazan, KZN.RU, May 15, by Zilya Gayfi). The secretary of the local branch of the "United Russia" party, Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin spoke about the main achievements of Tatarstan and its capital in the past five years and about the problems that concern voters in Kazan at today's preliminary inner-party voting session. The primary will result in the nomination of candidates for Kazan City Duma deputies.

On September 13, Tatarstan will elect the President and more than 7.5 thousand deputies of local councils, including 50 deputies of Kazan. According to Ilsur Metshin, the election campaign will be held against the background of the Republic's successful development in the last five years. "To-date, one-third of Kazan housing has been renovated. We are Russia's leader in terms of housing renovation, and other cities are eager to learn from our experience. Our project "Open Kazan" is of great interest to other regions. One-fourth of Kazan roads has been repaired. The asphalt covering in 1,105 Kazan courtyards – more than a quarter – has also been repaired," said the mayor.

The appearance of the capital has significantly improved, said the mayor of Kazan: there are new roads, all city districts have been greenified, and the historical city center has been restored. All of this makes our city attractive to tourists: during the May holidays alone, Kazan was visited by more than 120 thousand tourists.

The Head of the Republic Rustam Minnikhanov played an invaluable role in the overall development of the city. It is thanks to him that 30 presidential programs are being implemented in the Republic. "Five years ago we promised the voters to build 20 kindergartens but in fact built nearly a hundred: the presidential program "Belekech" permitted us to expand our plans. Another program initiated by the President of Tatarstan allowed us to carry out major repairs in 88 schools which were over 30 years old. Owing to yet another presidential program, houses of culture appeared in our villages," said the mayor.

According to the mayor, noticeable progress has been achieved in the social sphere. Thus, the birth rate has doubled in the past 10 years; for the fourth year in a row, Kazan sets a new population growth record.

Concluding his speech, Ilsur Metshin noted that the progress has been made thanks to the conscientious work and social activism of each Kazan resident. "Never before has our city developed so rapidly. And never before have Kazan residents taken part in this massive construction with such unanimity. Thanks to our joint efforts,  Kazan has been steadily improving its quality of life and has become attractive for investment," said the mayor.

Candidates also spoke during the primaries, following which the electors took part in a secret ballot. Voting results will be announced in June, following which candidates will be nominated at a party conference.