Ms. Sliska called the media's attention to party leader Boris Gryzlov's criticisms of the Cabinet and expressed regret that Vice Premier Alexander Zhukov, who had addressed the gathering earlier today, had not replied to those criticisms.
"The Cabinet continues to ignore the party's proposal to gradually bring the minimum wage up to the subsistence line," Lyubov Sliska noted, warning that United Russia's patience was running thin and that it was now going to take a tougher approach in its relations with the government's executive branch.
Valery Bogomolov, Secretary of the United Russia Council, echoed the point, specifying that the party would take an especially tough line on social welfare bills submitted by the Cabinet to the State Duma.
According to him, the party is still choosing between a conservative and a liberal platform. "We have a conservative centrist platform with a focus on welfare," he said.
Oleg Morozov, Vice Speaker of the State Duma, believes that the conflict between the Cabinet and the United Russia parliamentary faction, holding a majority of seats in the State Suma, was predetermined by the very system of government. "The [Russian] Cabinet is a non-partisan body, and relies on the parliamentary majority," explained Mr. Morozov.
