Today Tuva celebrates it Constitution Day. The present Constitution of the Republic of Tuva, the nineth in its history (the first one dates back to 1921, when a Tannu-Tuva People Republic was declared), was adopted at an all-republican referendum on May 6, 2001. The first post-perestroika Constitution was adopted by the revolutionary Supreme Soviet of Tuva at its session in 1993. It was written under Yeltsin's slogan 'Take as much sovereignity as you can swallow!'

The State Duma passed in the first reading on April 18 with 343 votes in favor a bill drafted primarily by lawmakers from the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia that would empower republic heads to dissolve parliaments on the basis of a court ruling should the legislature not convene for its maiden session and begin functioning "effectively" within 30 days of its election. That bill was prompted by the boycott by legislators from the Russian Party of Life (RPZh) whose election last October to the Great Khural of the Republic of Tyva (Tuva) was annulled by a Kyzyl court.

New Tuva's Government would have a new structure consisting of 12 ministeries instead of 16 in the old Sherg-ool Oorzhak's cabinet. Sholban Kara-ool, 40, new head of Tuva, would have 5 vice-prime-ministers, 4 out of which have been already approved of by the parliament. They are first vice-prime-minister Sholban Irgit, ex-head of the 'Uriankhay' meat-processing complex; Ivan Chuchev to supervise agricultural issues, Anatolii Damba-Khuurak to be occupied with the administrative reform, Vladimir Nedelin to manage energy and fuel supplies problems.

Administrative pressure engaged by Tuvan prime-minister Sherig-ool Oorzhak in his desire to stay one more term in office in the past parliamentary elections has led to cancellation of the vote results in the constituencies where opposition received the majority. This decision was mase by the election commission of Kyzyl, whose members were pressed (even in night time) to vote in accordance with the executive power, the pretext for cancellation was the following - the election polls were not formed correctly.

Tuvan opposition has released an open appeal to Russian President Putin attracting his attention to the power crisis in Tuva which under 16 years of Sherig-ool Oorzhak's leadership has come to poor results. It is a second of its kind address to the President with the almost similar critic of the current leader of Tuva. The first one was launched a year ago by the majority in the Tuvan parliament.