Analysts split on whether Russian govt is facing dismissal soon

(Interfax – MOSCOW, April 25, 2013) Russian political analysts have different opinions regarding the likelihood that the government could be dismissed following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks during a traditional annual Q&A session on Thursday.

Igor Bunin told Interfax that Putin had apparently gave some more time to the government and no dismissals of individual government ministers should be expected within the next few months.

“The government will surely stay until the fall. The president showed that there is no decision on whether Dmitry Medvedev will be sacked, but the government is in limbo now. Everything will depend on economic performance. If everything is okay with the economy, the government could stay as long as until 2015,” he said.

Bunin reiterated that he did not consider it likely that individual ministers could be sacked.

“Sacrificing the education minister or the health minister would have a negative impact on Medvedev’s image as the boss of his ministers. Therefore, he [Putin] is unlikely to allow this,” Bunin said.

Another prominent political analyst, Gleb Pavlovsky, suggested that, judging by Putin’s remarks during the Q&A session, Putin is unlikely to give the government the second chance.

“I don’t see any second chance given to the government. The president doesn’t trust the government enough and makes it understood. That is, by preserving the government, Putin weakens it. It is also obvious that the idea of a shadow government in the presidential secretariat is not alien to Putin,” Pavlovsky said.

Putin’s remarks during the Thursday Q&A session could be followed by dismissals of some government ministers, Pavlovsky said. “I think there will be dismissals, because the questions were obviously not spontaneous,” he said.

Both Bunin and Pavlovsky mentioned Putin’s address to former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin during the session.

“Putin is apparently seeking to set up a system of checks and balances in the government. We see that he elevated Kudrin,” Bunin said.

Pavlovsky suggested that Putin’s remarks addressed to Kudrin were in fact “addressed directly to the prime minister.”

Putin said during the Thursday Q&A session that the government ministers should be given some more time to work, despite criticism that has been leveled at them lately.