Russia’s ruling United Russia party managed to cling on to its majority in the lower house in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, despite failing to get a majority of votes in an election that was marred by accusations of vote rigging and intimidation by opposition parties.

With 96 per cent of ballots counted on Monday, United Russia, the party of prime minister Vladimir Putin, had 49.54 per cent of the vote, down from 64.3 per cent in 2007, which would give the party 238 seats in the 450-seat parliament, down from 315.

The founder of Tuvan State Mongush Buyan-Badyrgy should have his own personal monument. In 2011, as Tuva celebrates the 90^th Anniversary of  the founding of Tuvan people's Republic, the monument to our former ruler should be erected at a  prominent place in the capital. That is what one of the most respected elders of the republic, Doctor of Historical sciences,  investigator of shamanism Mongush Kenin-Lopsan  reported to the Premier Sholban Kara-ool.

The meting of the Premier with the aksakal (elder) took place on  10 April at his working "cabin", which is located in the center of the town. Sholban Kara-ool brought birthday greetings  to Mongush Borakhovich and a present - an engraving with an image of a bear, which personifies a symbol of power and authority in shamanism.

It is quite possible that the 90^th anniversary of the founding of Tuvan people's Republic will be welcomed with a new national anthem. The necessity of composing a new chief song of the republic, with words and music that would correspond to contemporary realities was discussed at a common conference of the Soviets of the Government and the Supreme Khural, which took place on 21 March.

The head of Tuva Sholban Kara-ool announced the appointment of a new vice-premier of the government in the matters of development of informational communications. The adviser to the head of the region, editor-in-chief of IA “Tuvaonline” Dina Oyun will be appointed to this office; she will take up the task of realization of the program of adoption of “electronic government” in the republic, as well as of matters of development of informational politics. The head of the region Sholban Kara-ool emphasized that the task of developing an informational society, set by President of Russia, is becoming more relevant every day.

At the end of October, the Premier of Tuvam sholban Kara-ool will meet with the president of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj. The head of the border region of Russia received an official invitation to visit Ulan-Bator from the new government of Mongolia in June of theis year.

Tuva, there fore , plans to re-establish once-close economic and cultural ties with their neighbors, which were interrupted during the “perestroika” years.

Altai Kray and Republic Tuva will soon sigh an Agreement of Co-operation. In the sphere of mutual interests is the development of internal tourism, as announced today by the chairman of the government of Republic Tuva, Sholban Kara-ool, who came to Barnaul to participate in the meetings of the governmental committee for questions of regional development, which premier-minister RF, Vladimir Putin, is conducting here.

Tuvan Prime-Minister Sholban Kara-ool gave a press-cinference at Russia's largest Information Agency - RIA NOVOSTI in Moscow. It is the first press-conference ever given by a Tuva's head on a federal news-platform. 'In 1970 when all over Russia Lenin's 100 jubielum was celebrated, Tuvan Party Committee gave an assignment to local historian to find something connecting Lenin and Tuva, - Kara-ool started unexpectedly. - The historians did a lot to fulfill the task searching for a bit of Tuva in 54 volumes of Lenin's works and a mass of memoirs of his colleagues and finally found a short line in his letter from Siberian exile adrressing his wife Krupskaya. 'I write these lines. It is dark outdoors. Winter. Some kilometers further is Shush river (400 km Tuva's north), beyond which nothing. The world's end'.