Constitutional change
Adoption of the Steppe Code of Kalmykia, 1994
Under President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Kalmykia adopted a new basic law and voluntarily dispensed with the separate constitutional trappings other Russian republics retained.
What happened
On 11 April 1993, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was elected President of Kalmykia with around 65% of the vote.[1] On 5 April 1994, the Steppe Code (Basic Law) was adopted, replacing Kalmykia's earlier constitution as the republic's fundamental law.[2]
Under Ilyumzhinov, Kalmykia effectively renounced the trappings of a separate sovereignty, with the Steppe Code dispensing with a standalone constitution, distinct republican citizenship, and — for a period — even the title "President," Ilyumzhinov himself arguing that Kalmykia did not need these institutions.[3] Both Kalmyk and Russian gained official-language status in the republic the same year.[4]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: On 11 April 1993, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was elected President of Kalmykia with around 65% of the vote.
- Kalmykia: Ethnic Separatism in the Lower Volga Region (Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies) link, Ilyumzhinov election section. Source record
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2.
Claim: On 5 April 1994, the Steppe Code (Basic Law) was adopted, replacing Kalmykia's earlier constitution as the republic's fundamental law.
- Presidential Library of Russia, Steppe Code (Basic Law) of the Republic of Kalmykia (Presidential Library (prlib.ru)) link, Adoption section. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
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3.
Claim: Under Ilyumzhinov, Kalmykia effectively renounced the trappings of a separate sovereignty in 1994, with the Steppe Code dispensing with a standalone constitution, distinct republican citizenship, and — for a period — even the title "President," Ilyumzhinov himself arguing that Kalmykia did not need these institutions.
- Kalmykia: Ethnic Separatism in the Lower Volga Region (Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies) link, Renunciation section. Source record
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4.
Claim: In 1994, both Kalmyk and Russian gained the status of official languages of the Republic of Kalmykia.
- Bitkeeva, Aisa, Language Policy in the Republic of Kalmykia: The State and Perspectives (Linguapax) link, Language status section. Source record