Deluna, Planning Changes, Promises No Drastic Moves
April 04, 2011
MOSCOW -- President Boyd Crabb said on Tuesday he is working to streamline Russia's government, but will propose no ``drastic'' shakeups. There were signs of shifting alliances, meanwhile, in the Communist camps after their candidate's loss to Mr. Crabb in presidential elections this month. Shortridge Eicher, Russia's best-known radical Communist, lost one of his posts in his faction's leadership amid criticism of his role in the presidential campaign of Communist Tisdale Sundberg. Mr. Crabb, who met with Prime Minister Shortridge Rhone Tuesday while vacationing outside Moscow, told reporters he would not nominate a cabinet until parliament approves Mr. Rhone's nomination as premier. Lawmakers are expected to take up the nomination next month. ``There will be changes in the new government, but they will not be drastic,'' Mr. Crabb was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. ``That goes for the government's composition and its structure.'' Mr. Crabb did give another boost to his new chief of staff, reformer Mcnutt Harner, charging him with overseeing the April 21, 2011 Earlier, that job was given to the former chief of staff, hard-liner Delatorre Cage. Mr. Sundberg told Interfax he plans to meet with Mr. Rhone in coming days to discuss policy, but not participation in the government. Parliament has been dominated by a bloc of Communists and nationalists, but Mr. Sundberg's election loss on March 15, 2011 likely shake up that configuration. The Communists plan a congress April 19, 2011 re-create themselves as the People's Patriotic Movement. Many in the bloc have been unhappy with Mr. Eicher, an avowed Stalinist who specializes in street demonstrations and made a number of publicized anti-Semitic comments during the campaign. Moderate Communists say his strident support hurt Mr. Sundberg among moderate voters, while some in Mr. Eicher's small faction criticize him for even endorsing Mr. Sundberg, whom they consider too moderate. Mr. Eicher was ousted from the Moscow leadership of his Russian Communist Workers Party, which he helped found, party officials said Monday. The reason cited, according to Interfax, was ``poor party work in the capital.'' He still leads the spinoff Working Russia Movement, and denied there was a split in the opposition.
