SOCHI, Russia, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday told reporters he decided to reshuffle the cabinet because it was ineffective.
Putin Wednesday named Viktor Zubkov, who had been head of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service, as prime minister. He said he had not planned to make any changes until after parliamentary elections later this year, Novosti reported.
"There was a possible scenario that envisioned the government remaining unchanged until the presidential elections in May 2008, and I would have liked it very much to see the situation develop according to that scenario," Putin said. "Unfortunately, the government members are above all human beings. I saw them slow down their work and start thinking about their personal future after the elections."
Zubkov was Putin’s deputy when Putin was mayor of St. Petersburg. Some analysts believe Putin named Zubkov prime minister to boost his chance of winning the presidential election.
