MOSCOW. Dec 27 (Interfax) - Offering his resignation as Russian presidential economic adviser, Andrei Illarionov has basically made the right decision, said Russian State Duma Deputy Chairman Oleg Morozov of the United Russian parliamentary group.

"From the formal viewpoint, he cannot remain a presidential adviser if he does not support the economic course that has been pursued under the president's guidance," Morozov told Interfax on Tuesday.

Duma deputy speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the Liberal-Democratic Party described Illarionov's decision to resign as a natural step.

"In any case, today's government in the country is better than what could have been recommended to us by people like Illarionov, Yavlinsky, Nemtsov, Khakamada, Kasyanov or Kasparov. Illarionov is closer to those who inflicted huge economic damage on this country under Yeltsin, and the Yeltsin team should leave," Zhirinovsky told journalists on Tuesday.

Illarionov "has never cared about the industrial sector, he didn't care about the fate of factories or the rural sector. The only thing he cares about is the wellbeing of oligarchic structures like Yukos," Zhirinovsky said. "He doesn't see or understand the problems that are facing the state," he said.

Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov said, "As an intelligent person, he (Illarionov) realized that liberalism in economics has exhausted itself. He realized that it's better to leave sooner than later." Illarionov struggled to defend his line in a number of areas but failed, Zyuganov said. For instance, Illarionov "tried to stop the collapse of the power system but did not win support, which also happened to a number of other of his projects," he said.

Yabloko party deputy leader Sergei Ivanenko said, "Illarionov's resignation was expected by everybody who noticed how brave and precise were his judgments. In this sense, this resignation is quite symbolic - it shows clearly the line that the government has pursued in the past two or three years - a line towards building state capitalism and restricting democratic freedoms, including in the economic area."

Duma Economic Policy, Enterprise, and Tourism Committee Chairman Valery Draganov of the United Russia parliamentary group said he believes Illarionov can engage in big-time politics if his resignation is accepted.

In an interview with Interfax, Draganov suggested that Illarionov "might find a place for himself in democratic political circles." At the same time, "Illarionov is unlikely to rub along with ex-Premier Mikhail Kasyanov, considering that they are irreconcilable opponents."

Former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, currently a member of the Union of Right Forces political council, said he believes Illarionov's resignation signals negative trends in Russia's political and economic affairs.