It goes so hard that government’s report was cancelled

• 11.02.2009, 12:12

Alyaksandr Lukashenka decided not to hold a session on results of work of the Belarusian government in year 2008.

The Belarusian head of state said he would estimate work of the government amid the global crisis after the first quarter of the year.

“I will estimate their work after the first quarter of the year. They seem to be doing something,” Lukashenka said.

“I am not ready to estimate the work of the government now,” Lukashenka said. He also added that “January and February are not typical months”.

The government was preparing for a session scheduled for February 10, held a session of the Council of Ministers on Saturday. Evil tongues told a number of officials, and even a prime minister, might be dismissed. But Lukashenka chose a trip to Lida town instead of a showdown.

Lukashenka hardly decided to “change horses in midstream”, AFN writes. At a session, if it had taken place, Lukashenka would have given orders to officials: whether planned indexes should be reviewed or not, whether industry should be shut down or not, whether people should be fired or go on leave with 2/3 of pay and so on.

He apparently didn’t want to take this responsibility or, which is more likely, he has nothing to propose to the government. So, Sidorski and his team were given two months more to try to settle the situation. Decisions of Lukashenka on the results of the first quarter will depend on how the situation will develop.