MOSCOW, Aug 23 (Reuters) - President Boris Yeltsin sacked
Russia's government on Sunday and named former premier Viktor
Chernomyrdin as the acting prime minister, the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin issued a written statement saying Yeltsin had
signed a decree outlining the moves but gave no explanation.
Yeltsin and Prime Minister Segrei Kiriyenko, who served only
four months in office, have been under fire over their handling
of a financial crisis.
The State Duma, the lower house of parliament, blasted the
government's handling of the crisis at an emergency session on
Friday and called for a government of national trust to be
formed. It passed a resolution urging Yeltsin to resign.
The Communist Party, the dominant force in the Duma, had
also been threatening to call a no-confidence vote in the
government this week.
It was the second time Yeltsin has sacked his entire
government this year. He dismissed Chernomyrdin, 60, and his
cabinet on March 23, saying he needed a new prime minister to
inject new life into market economic reforms.
But Russian shares have plummeted since then in a loss of
investors' confidence in the economy, hit by the aftershocks of
economic crisis in Asia and a fall in world prices of oil,
Russia's main export.
Speculation that Chernomyrdin, 60, might return had risen in
the last few days following the announcement of a de facto
devaluation of the rouble on Monday.
Chernomyrdin served as prime minister for more than five
years until March. He won a reputation as a solid but
unspectacular reformer, and announced plans to run in the next
presidential election shortly after he was dismissed in March.
Interfax news agency said Chernomyrdin was already holding
consultations on forming a new government.
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