ABSTRACT
This chapter provides all basic political, economic, and demographic data on every territorial unit of the Russian Federation, its local government structure, regional politics and electoral history through the spring 2000 elections and the summer 2000 reorganization of the Saratov Oblast. Saratov Oblast is located on the southeastern Russian plain in the lower Volga River valley and borders Volgograd, Tambov, Penza, Samara, Voronezh, and Ulyanovsk oblasts and Kazakhstan. Saratov Oblast is a major industrial area of the Volga region and houses over 500 industrial enterprises that manufacture various products. As Saratov has gained more experience with the auctions, however, it is becoming clear that there is little real demand for the region’s agricultural land. On 4 July 1997 then Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin signed a power-sharing agreement between the federal government and Saratov. The governor became dissatisfied with Kosyrev after Dmitrii Ayatskov’s candidate lost a by-election to the Saratov Oblast Duma from the Marx district.
