"I can - that means I must"

The President began consultations on the future government

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin goes to the White House almost as rarely (or as often - as you like) as he dismisses the cabinet. But yesterday's visit by the president to the building on Krasnopresnenskaya embankment, despite all its exclusivity, did not shed any additional light on questions about what the government will look like and who will lead it. The gloom has not been lifted; on the contrary, it has created an even greater impression than after the 100-second televised address on Tuesday that the president is not saying enough. Either he is unable to utter something fatal, or he himself has not yet fully decided on what, strictly speaking, he should say.

This is probably why his warnings, somewhat hanging in the air, that he would certainly name a candidate for the post of prime minister in the near future sounded almost threatening: “I can, which means I must do it... I can, which means I must. ..” It seemed that with just a little effort of presidential will, the acting ministers, and with them the country and the world, would recognize this... But no, it didn’t happen.

Or maybe the president came to see his former ministers simply because he wanted to take a comradely look at many of them one more time before parting. Tell me that I just signed a decree on how the Russia Day ceremony will now take place, on June 12. That members of the Russian government, representatives of the Federation Council and the State Duma, executive, legislative and judicial authorities, as well as representatives of religious and public organizations, cultural figures, scientists and artists, heads of foreign diplomatic missions and representatives of international organizations. That the Ministry of Press, together with the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, has been instructed to consider the issue of providing a live broadcast from Red Square. That an organizing committee will be created to prepare and conduct the celebration. That the head of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation will be appointed chairman of the committee.

I wanted to tell you, and then I realized that many of these former ministers would not be invited to the ceremony. And he felt sorry for them and didn’t tell them.

Everything was probably completely different, but the author mentioned the upcoming solemn celebration with intent - as an illustration of the fact that the president, as a rule, considers it necessary to think in advance and plan important events down to the details.

But with the resignation of the cabinet, something completely different happens. And the arguments that the way it is being done will be more effective are also not very convincing. After all, until the day before yesterday we had full-fledged ministers who were ultimately responsible for the industry entrusted to them, and now for the third day they are all acting. The difference, meanwhile, is the most fundamental. Acting busy with very special things. For them, the most important thing is to find out what is heard, where the wind is blowing, what rumors are circulating in the corridors, who, where and with whom is drawing the structure of the new office... Therefore, they constantly call each other and with journalists, suddenly someone knows something. But business... business can wait.

They risk staying in this state for a long time. Judge for yourself. First, the prime minister's candidacy must be presented to the Duma and approved by it. Then the prime minister must present the structure of the new cabinet to the president, and only after that specific surnames, first names and patronymics will begin to appear in the list of approved federal departments in the appropriate column.

We can only hope that nothing bad will happen while waiting for this happy event. Of course, the president has already taken care of some things and sent the acting. Minister of Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu "across the country." The task is to fight the flood wherever it occurs.

And now we know by name with whom the president consults on the issue of the future government. These are prominent representatives of the parliamentary majority. In the world around us, this is the current practice. And for us it’s almost exotic. In any case, history should remember the names of those who took part in the first such meeting yesterday: State Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov, his first deputies Alexander Zhukov and Lyubov Sliska, deputies Georgy Boss, Vyacheslav Volodin, Vladimir Pekhtin, first deputies of the head of the United Russia faction Vladimir Katrenko, Valery Bogomolov, Yuri Volkov, as well as deputy head of the Kremlin administration Vladislav Surkov. After the consultations, Mr. Gryzlov said that the Okhotskaya Ryad residents were satisfied with the consultations and that they (the consultations) would continue on Sunday. Apparently, this should also be understood in the sense that at least until Sunday we will not know anything new about the future government.

Leo BRUNI