Domestic pressure for change
Where does the impetus for change in Russia come from? Here's one example.Long-Serving Finance Minister Calls for Reforms to Bolster Russia’s Power
Several times in recent months, Aleksei L. Kudrin, Russia’s finance minister — a longtime ally of Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin — has called for deep domestic changes, arguing that Russia will slip out of the ranks of the world’s leading nations unless it allows for fair competition in politics and business…
[H]aving already outlasted five prime ministers during his 11-year tenure, he will almost certainly remain in place next spring no matter who is president… he speaks for an important group: well-placed Russian elites who are advocating for political change from within the system.
Mr. Kudrin, 50, gave an interview to The New York Times… [and] laid out an argument grounded in practicalities. Oil production is going to level off for the next 10 years, so any further economic growth will have to come from other sectors, he said.
“Very clear rules are needed, and very understandable institutions — a very good judicial system, so that everybody will feel confident in his investments, in fair arbitration, in courts and in very efficient work of the government and federal bodies under its authority,” he said. “Of course, we will get away from our dependence on oil. It will be very difficult — it is necessary to create good rules of the game, and both Putin and Medvedev understand it.”…
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Labels: change, politics, Russia
posted by Ken Wedding @ 6:58 AM
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