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Putin's annual address offers prospect of new cabinet, say senior MPs
Interfax

Moscow, 16 May: Yabloko party leader Grigoriy Yavlinskiy has expressed the opinion that, in his address to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin implied an intention to replace the current government.

Putin has announced the principle of forming the government in keeping with parliamentary election results, Yavlinskiy recalled. This is a key provision of the address, he said.

Although "it's not clear on what principles the provision will be implemented, the important thing is that it was declared", he said. "The current government will fail to carry out (the goals set in the message) in 10 or even 20 years," he said.

Fatherland-All Russia faction leader Vladimir [actually Vyacheslav] Volodin has backed the new principle of forming the government. "In the long run, it will make Russia a strong state, which is what the president has called for," Volodin pointed out.

Communist Party leader Gennadiy Zyuganov has noted that "the president's first message sounded like a state address, the second one was mediocre and the third one was a pure liberal mix. Today, an attempt was made to return the topic of patriotism to the state."

The real situation sharply differs from the president's address in a negative way, Zyuganov added.

Putin "did not mention his approach to a government that is clearly failing to cope with its objectives. A reliable governance system is lacking. Although the judicial reform has been praised, the entire judicial system is corrupted to the utmost," he said.

"The weakest point of the address is the absence of remarks on eradicating corruption and banditry, which have choked" Russia, he said.

"Either a presidential republic must be set up where the president heads the government and is responsible for everything, or a government of a State Duma majority must be established which, together with the State Duma, would be accountable for what happens in the country," he said.