16 March 2004 04:01
Putin Plans to Shake Up His Administration
After overhauling the Cabinet, President Vladimir Putin plans to restructure his own powerful administration of
political and economic advisers.
Putin told reporters Monday that he was not ready to discuss the details of the reform, but said key decisions should
be expected "within 10 days."
The reform of Putin's administration -- known as the source of most of the president's and
government's political and economic decisions -- will likely lead to the merger of a number of departments and
possibly staff cuts, Vedomosti reported Monday.
"Staff members are being moved to nonstaff positions, and everyone is afraid of layoffs," an administration
official was quoted as saying.
A source close to the presidential administration confirmed Monday that most of the staff are worried.
The reform is being prepared by Cabinet chief of staff Dmitry Kozak, who until recently was first deputy head of the
presidential administration. Kozak is seen as the drafter of last week's Cabinet revamp, which saw the total number
of ministries halved.
The presidential administration will probably be renamed chancellery under the reform and the number of deputies to
presidential chief of staff Dmitry Medvedev will be cut from eight to one, Vedomosti said.
President Boris Yeltsin created the presidential administration in 1991. Putin, however, formed its current structure
of 18 departments and sub-departments in 2000.
The reformed administration will most likely focus on political strategy and leave economic issues for the Cabinet,
said Sergei Markov, director of the Institute for Political Studies.
A former administration official said it was high time for an overhaul.
"It's time for them to shake off some fat. They've become rather lazy lately," he said on
condition of anonymity.
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[The Moscow Times] |
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