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To: the navigator who wrote (18557)	2/24/2004 10:47:41 AM
From: Bucky Katt	Respond to of 48463

Putin Fires Prime Minister, cabinet> Putin Plans Reshuffle Ahead of Elections MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday dismissed Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and his cabinet, saying in a statement on national television he made the move in order to reshuffle the cabinet ahead of the March 14 presidential elections. "This decision bears no relation to any assessment of the performance of the former composition of the government. It was dictated by my desire to once again delineate my position on the issue of what development course the country will take after March 14, 2004," Mr. Putin said. However, speculation had percolated for months that Mr. Kasyanov, the last major government holdover from Boris Yeltsin's years as president, was on his way out. Mr. Kasyanov had said that the intense government probe of the Yukos oil giant, including the jailing of its head Mikhail Khodorkovsky, had set a bad precedent for the country's recovering economy. The Yukos probe is widely believed to have been Kremlin-driven and Mr. Kasyanov's criticisms likely irritated Mr. Putin and his aides. The dismissal of the prime minister also means the dismissal of the rest of the government ministers, although any of them potentially could be reappointed. Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko was named acting prime minister. The announcement sent shares tumbling on the Russian stock market, with dips of 3% to 5% within minutes of Mr. Putin's statement, the Interfax news agency reported. Mr. Kasyanov served in the Soviet-era state planning agency Gosplan during the 1980s and after the Soviet collapse in 1991 began a steady rise through economic and financial posts. As deputy finance minister in 1996 he worked out a deal for repaying debts that Russia inherited from the Soviet Union. Two years later he was a key figure in Russia's efforts to retain stability and credibility after Russia defaulted on foreign debt payments and the ruble's value plunged.