The State Duma’s Financial Markets Committee removed Anatoly Aksakov from his post as the head of the National Banking Council on Tuesday, after the deputy drew widespread criticism for suggesting that the ruble should be devalued.
Eight committee members voted to remove Aksakov while three others abstained, said a source close to the deputy, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov in August asked the committee to remove Aksakov after the deputy said the ruble ought to be devalued 30 percent to 40 percent in order to give banks a leg-up. Gryzlov called Aksakov’s proposal “groundless” and “an attempt to apply the recipes of 1998.”
“After my seven years of experience with the National Banking Council, the inner workings of financial decisions have become fully transparent to me. I regret that only three Duma deputies have had the chance to work for the council,” Aksakov said in a statement after the meeting.
If more of them had participated, “there would be considerably fewer populist decisions in budget sphere,” he said.
Viktor Pleskachevsky, chairman of the State Duma Property Committee and member of United Russia, replaced Just Russia party member Aksakov.
The banking council, designed to monitor the Central Bank, includes Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who acts as its chairman, Central Bank Chairman Sergei Ignatyev, several deputies and senators, Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina, presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich, and First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Central Bank said on its web site.
Financial Markets Committee Head Vladislav Reznik said during the meeting that the ruble devaluation should have been carried out all at once rather than gradually.
“I think that the gradual devaluation, which was carried out wonderfully, nevertheless was the wrong decision,” he said, adding that it was his only his personal opinion.
“One has to very carefully share one’s professional opinion, because it can, one way or another, disrupt the situation,” he said, Interfax reported.
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