Russian PM hints at Cabinet reshuffle

MOSCOW, November 29: Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin has indicated that a major reshuffle in the cabinet is in the offing, with many incumbent ministers likely to lose their jobs and new ones entering the government.

The opposition parties are likely to get a few posts, he told mediapersons last night following his meeting with President Boris Yeltsin and speakers of the two houses of Parliament. However, Yeltsin ruled out any possibility of formation of a coalition government, Novasti reports. Yeltsin reiterated his determination to retain Anatoly Chubais as first deputy prime minister. He told the meeting in the Kremlin that Chubais had already been punished for agreeing to receive an exorbitant royalty for an unpublished book on privatisation of properties in Russia. quot;We have stripped him of the finance minister8217;s post,quot; the President reminded the media. Duma speaker and Communist leader Gennady Seleznov had asked the President to complete proceedings against Chubais and other beneficiaries. Kremlin is continuing its attempt to get the 1998 budget adopted before the end of the year.