At his first press conference after taking office, Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Yesipovsky spoke in detail about key regional decisions, from the 2009 budget to support for municipalities and control over spending. He said the budget kept its social focus, teachers and doctors were paid on time, and social spending increased. He also said such meetings with journalists would become regular, and Viktor Ignatenko would continue working in the region as adviser and head of the institute of regional legislation.

Today, the Governor of Irkutsk Region, Igor Esipovsky, held his first press conference since the ceremonial inauguration. The regional head’s conversation with journalists covered dozens of topics and lasted about two hours.
Igor Esipovsky considers the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the unified Irkutsk Region to be the most significant political event for the region in the outgoing year. According to him, the deputies of the first convocation have already demonstrated their professionalism and responsible civic stance on a number of key issues. For example, when considering the draft regional budget for 2009. The governor emphasized that it was possible to reduce expenditures while preserving its social orientation by combining the efforts of the Legislative Assembly and the regional Government. Thanks to this, teachers and doctors of the Baikal region will receive their salaries on time, while the overall amount of funds for social needs will increase from 40 to 60% of all budget expenditures:
- Salaries will ultimately be paid on time. The money has been transferred for December, January, and February — these are exactly the months in which there was the greatest cash gap.
Assistance to the municipalities of the Baikal region will also increase, as will the responsibility of their leadership. Speaking about the region’s increased co-financing of municipal budget workers’ salaries, Igor Esipovsky said that the Government does not intend to encourage those who spend budget funds improperly or wastefully. Control over their effective use has already been entrusted to a special audit group, which will begin working in the municipalities from day to day.
- We are ready to help, but we need to know how effectively these budget funds are being used, whether they are being used for their intended purpose, and so on.
Journalists asked Igor Esipovsky dozens of questions. And each one received a detailed, comprehensive answer. The regional head assured that such meetings with representatives of the press would become regular.
The head of the region made another statement today. Viktor Ignatenko, who for many years headed the regional election commission, remains on the regional political scene. As Igor Esipovsky said, Viktor Vasilyevich will head the Institute of Regional Legislation and will work as the governor’s adviser.