The Prime Minister, Koruin Gruaman, last night faced reality that he could no longer govern with a majority.
His own Centrist members of the lower-house turned against him in a crucial vote for the government where the re-modified Energy Bill, which had already been rejected by the Federal Council, was presented again before the 170 member Assembly last night by minister Ludvig Fedorov. But not even the steady hand of the energy minister could convince members to vote through controversial changes within the energy and power sector. Korina Shulgin, who led the opposition charge said last night that the government had ‘lost the authority of the house’ and would need to ‘walk away and come back with a new sense of direction’.
Even before last nights thumping victory for the opposition, many were already questioning the Prime Minister’s change in approach – which has been seen by many commentators lately as abrasive.
According to advisers, the Prime Minister was consulted on the likely hood that a similar vote could prove disastrous for his authority – and could cripple the workings of government further – and earlier, Gruaman released a statement in which he said after ‘thorough’ discussions with opposition party UND, their leader Tymur Rubin would join the government along with two other high-profile members of their team.
The United Nationalist Democrats pledged to work with the Centrist government in the interest of ‘national stability’ and their leader, Mr Rubin, is to join the government as the new State Minister for Education, Science and Healthcare – taking over from Ida Korneev.
The arrangement however has not proved popular with hard-line Centrist executive members including the Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Sukhorukov who tonight told reporters he was ‘considering his position’ within government. Mr Sukhorukov was also joined by Communications and Media Minister Krill Serbin, who is known as a strong critic of Mr Gruaman. Both are tonight fearing that the new shape of government may well see them out of a job and joining Ms Korneev on the sidelines of Polascianan politics.
Mr Rubin, the leader of the United Nationalist Democrats has said that the agreement will be temporary and is aimed at providing a ‘stable centrist leadership’ for the nation in the build up to the presidential election in October. But the formal opposition, the Union Party, tonight criticised Mr Rubin for ‘playing a clever game’. Former Prime Minister Maksim Obelchenko and the party’s leader Gennadiy Artamova said Mr Rubin had ‘jumped’ at the chance of a greater platform for his presidential ambitions and that the arrangement was ‘certainly not’ in the interests of stability.
The new arrangement that will focus on continuing ‘support’ to the fragile economy and is a first in Polascianan political history.
Despite the fact that a close source to the Prime Minister announced a few days ago that a ‘likely’ deal between the two parties would include Mr Rubin joining the government executive, both the leader and two of his colleagues will join the Prime Minister’s Centrist government. Commenting, Mr Rubin said “there is an understanding that this Prime Minister can no longer govern alone, if the responsibility of the UND is to secure the stability of the nation, then that is our responsibility today.”
Former Presidential hopeful Lena Zilberman whose Rogan lower-house seat remains vacant after resigning said she felt the Prime Minister would ‘find it difficult’ to now manage government and find a ‘shared platform’ with the UND. She said the parties had ‘fundamental’ differences in their approach to economic reform. Ms Zilberman, who has not ruled out a return to frontline politics in the future, said that Mr Gruaman could have made internal changes to the government and as such rendering such an agreement unnecessary. Zilberman, who once held the executive position now filled by the UND leader, commented that she hoped Mr Rubin’s membership of the government would be ‘constructive’ but warned that party unity would be ‘extremely difficult’ as a result.
