Russia’s Medvedev Asks Finance Minister to Resign

Posted September 26th, 2011 at 12:18 pm (UTC-5)
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has urged his finance minister to resign immediately, after he criticized the government's economic policies and said he would not serve in a new government if Mr. Medvedev becomes prime minister.

Calling Alexei Kudrin's remarks “improper,” Mr. Medvedev told the finance minister Monday that if he disagrees with the president's policies, he has only one option and that is to step down.

Kudrin says he will make his decision only after consulting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who announced his presidency bid Saturday.

The long-serving Russian finance minister on Sunday said he will not serve in a new government if Mr. Medvedev becomes prime minister and Mr. Putin wins the presidency next year.

Kudrin said he has fundamental differences with the current president. He said the point was not that he had not been offered a job, but that if offered a position, he would decline.

Kudrin has been Russia's finance minister since 2000. He has been widely credited with helping Russia get through the 2008 global financial crisis.