From his second official residence in Ostrong, close to the Uttanian border in the north of the country, President Lukyanov has told Prime Minister Koruin Gruaman that he must ‘make progress’ in resolving the ‘stalemate’ that has developed within his government. The President, who makes his first address to the nation for over a year tomorrow, reportedly placed a deadline on the Prime Minister to find a solution. Outside the presidential palace after a ‘heated’ exchange, Gruaman denied that he planned to step-down as Prime Minister but that he ‘conceded change’ would need to be made. Mr Gruaman, who has been Prime Minister since 2008, is likely to present a re-shaped government for the second time tomorrow, but said he ‘cannot’ let his programme come ‘under threat’ from an ‘agenda of the minority.’ In response to one journalists question the Prime Minister said that he ‘would not speculate’ on the future of his First Deputy, Marina Yanaka. Reports from sources close to the Prime Minister suggest that Ms Yanaka’s position is ‘far from secure’.
President Lukyanov released a statement in which he said he was ‘impatient’ over the recent internal fall-out in the Centrist party and hinted that he may force Gruaman’s resignation if the Prime Minister is unsuccessful in overcoming the recent crisis. Lukyanov, who leaves office in January 2012, replaced Mr Gruaman as President in 2007 but insists he has ‘no agenda’ but to ‘put government back on track’. He said that the country ‘must get back to business’ as soon as possible. But Stepan Michalvich, a candidate to replace Mr Lukyanov, was more explicit in calling for Gruaman’s resignation. Speaking to a meeting of some of Polasciana’s most influential businessmen, Mr Michalvich said that Gruaman was proving to be ‘an obstacle of reform’ rather than a ‘catalyst for change’. In a scathing attack aimed at the Prime Minister, Mr Michalvich was making his first pitch for the Union Party nomination – in which he faces his first vote against Gennadiy Artamova next Sunday. ‘Even his colleagues are telling him it’s time to go’ said Michalvich referring to the Minister for Communications and Media, ‘My, if only the Prime Minister would realise – the country has had enough.’
Over the past few days attention has turned as to who could theoretically replace Gruaman firstly as Prime Minister, but also as the Centrist nominee for the presidential race in October. A year ago, former minister Lena Zilberman declared her intention to stand, but a personal tragedy forced her to resign from parliament. Whilst Ms Zilberman has not hinted at a possible return, her name has been quick to circulate amongst many commentators in the past few days. The Gal born Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister, Ludvig Fedorov, has been suggested as a possible replacement as Prime Minister while a recent critic of Gruaman and a former ally of Lena Zilberman, Krill Serbin has hinted that he may run for the presidency. The Centrist’s partners in government, the United Nationalist Democrats, refused to comment on the President’s warning but issued a generic statement in which their leader, Tymur Rubin, said the party would ‘cooperate’ and ‘work constructively’ with the rest of the executive.
President Lukyanov is due to address the country in a televised speech from the presidential palace tomorrow. The address was originally called for by the government after the tragic loss of life in the Dubrovka rail disaster – but the President is also expected to use the speech to clarify his position on the current crisis surrounding government. According to reports, many central figures in the Polasciana Centrist Party are tonight privately calling for Gruaman to take ‘decisive’ action against right-wing rebel members of his executive, or for him to stand aside. The Union Party is focusing its attack on Gruaman, but released a brief statement in which it said it was ‘ready to fight’ in any election.
