The law, to facilitate constitutional guarantees of local self-government in the Ingushetia Republic and the Chechen Republic, stipulates a transitional period until January 1, 2010. Both republics are expected to form local self-governing bodies before the deadline expires.
From May 1 through October 31, 2009, both republics are to elect local self-governing bodies of the newly established municipal entities.
In his November 5, 2008 State-of-the-Nation-Address, President Dmitry Medvedev reminded listeners that two of the Russian Federation’s constituent entities, namely, the Chechen Republic and the Ingushetia Republic, lacked self-government, and that this deprived local people of their constitutional rights.