All news

Russians once again name Sergei Shoigu best minister

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Minister for Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov are also among the three best-performing ministers

MOSCOW, October 17 (Itar-Tass). — The Russians consider Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is the best among the Russian ministers, while Minister of Education and Science Dmitry Livanov is the worst performing minister. These are the results of a recent opinion poll by the WCIOM All-Russian Centre for the Study of Public Opinion.

According to poll’s data, cited by the Izvestia daily, Sergei Shoigu, who is a long-liver of the Russian government, has received the highest mark in the opinion poll - “four and even with a small plus” out of five. The activity of Anatoly Serdyukov in that capacity one year ago was appreciated at “three with a slight minus”.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Minister for Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov are also among the three best-performing ministers. Over the recent months, after floods triggered by rain began in the Far East at the end of July, Russians’ appraisal of Puchkov’s work has been increasingly positive.

Among the top ten in the rating, the poll names Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, responsible for the military-industrial complex and defense issues and First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, who is in charge of the financial-economic sector. Russian president’s envoy to the North Caucasian Federal District Alexander Khloponin and Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev are also among the ten best ministers. The Izvestia notes that the ratings of Shuvalov, Khloponin and Kolokoltsev have declined over the recent months, though insignificantly.

The Izvestia quotes WCIOM CEO Valery Fyodorov, as saying the leadership positions of the power-wielding ministers in the rating are first of all determined by a collective opinion that has remained unchanged for the recent years that everything is bad in the social sector. The power-wielding ministries, as well as the Foreign Ministry, traditionally get higher marks from the population than the social and economic sectors.

“The power wielding ministers are not responsible for high prices, poor quality products and low pensions. Most citizens don’t feel the result of their work directly,” Fyodorov explained.

Besides, he said the assessment of Russian ministers’ activity by the people depended on what events were in the focus of public attention at this or that period of time. Also telling on their rating was the way the relevant ministers behaved in that situation.