MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the voluntary resignation of Deputy PM Vladislav Surkov, best known as the architect of Russia’s current political system – the ‘sovereign democracy.’
According to presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, Surkov submitted his resignation after a Tuesday conference in which Putin chided Russian government ministers for their slow progress implementing his 2012 decrees on long-term economic development.
The president said at the conference that he was demanding personal accountability from top officials for their failures, but did not name anyone specifically.
Surkov delivered a report at the conference, and said that the government’s performance was “flawless enough” despite some difficulties.
Russian media reported that the president seemed to agree with this position, but it is now apparent that these reports may have been wrong.
