The representative of the committee of brother peoples of the Student Union of Helsinki University Sampsa Holopainen, who had been Vice-President of MAFUN for international partnership, became President of the Youth Association of Finno-Ugric Peoples (MAFUN). This decision was made by delegates of the XI MAFUN Congress at the final plenary session in Helsinki on the 7th of August.
Holopainen was nominated by a representative of the recently formed Estonian youth organization “Fenno-Ugria Noora” Laur Lyhmus. The Vice-President himself nominated his colleague from Finland, Norman Langerak. The representative of Finnish Sami, Helga Siljander nominated Lyhmus. No one nominated a candidate from a Russian Finno-Ugric group, likely do to the MAFUN tradition that the president for the next 2-year period is a representative of the country or region holding the conference.
Nominated candidates were extremely brief in presenting their programs. Lyhmus proclaimed that he would be voting for Holopainen, as he himself is still new at MAFUN. “Are you withdrawing your candidature?” asked the still acting MAFUN president Vasily Nemechkin. “No, but I’m sure most people will be voting for Sampsa,” answered the Estonian.
The discussion about what kind of voting there should be, secret or open was reignited. The Western Finno-Ugrics were sure that secret voting is a symbol of democracy and proponents of this method must be respected even if they are in the minority. Nonetheless, 35 delegates of 50, constituting a mandate, came out in favor of open voting, 10 were against, and 5 more abstained. The representative of the Karelian delegation, Yegor Karialaini recommended organizing a mixed vote, so that each delegate would be able to vote how he or she wants. But that idea was rejected. The idea of open voting was once again actively defended by ex-president of the Association, Vasily Petrov. In conclusion, they remained with the open method.
As a result of the voting on concrete candidates, 43 voted for Holopainen, 4 for Langerak, and 1 for Lyhmus.
It turned out to be a complicated choice for MAFUN vice-president. Delegates accepted the Congress’s resolution to increase the number of vice-presidents from two to three: to the vice-presidents of international partnership and organizational issues, they added the position of vice president of expert-analytical work and coordination of activity between working groups in MAFUN.
The newly chosen Association, Mr. Holopainen explained that he hadn’t had time to think about concrete candidatures, but all the same nominated Lyhmus as international affairs vice-president, Yana Sazhina (Komi Republic) for organizational issues, and Oleg Motorinaot from the Moscow Komi Brotherhood “Parma” to the new post of third vice-president.
A representative of the Youth Organization of Ob-Ugric Peoples, Olga Vlasova recommended making the Estonian Oliver Loode the third vice-president, but he was not to become a member of the new leadership of MAFUN. Then a representative of the organization from the Komi Republic, “Living Pedagogy,” Irina Lyubimenko nominated a representative of the Udmurt Youth Organization, “Shunda,” Olga Tronina, but she declined the nomination. Then some delegates of the Congress declared that they’d like to see the Vice-President on expert work be ex-president of MAFUN, Nemechkin.
“Today we chose very strong leadership. Before the Congress, I said in an interview that it’s good to change the leadership, but bad to change the whole leadership. Hence why I’d have supported Nemechkin if he himself agrees,” announced the representative of the Karelian Youth Organization, “Nuori Karjala,” MAFUN ex-president Aleksey Tsykarev. “If you believe in me, I’m prepared to take on the job, work on economic studies, organize work for the Council of MAFUN elders,” said Mr. Nemechkin.
After the vote, the required majority of votes went to Lyhmus, Sazhina and Nemechkin.