News / Russia

170k Russians sign online petition against Medvedev

Friday, 05 August 2016 12:29 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 05 August 2016 12:56 PM ]

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (AFP)

Russians have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev over his remarks about an under-paid university professor.

Until Friday, more than 170,000 Russians had signed an online petition on Change.org regarding the matter.

Medvedev was asked by a university lecturer at a conference on youth education on August 2 why teachers’ salaries were as little as 15,000 rubles (about USD 230) per month.

“If you want to earn money, there are a bunch of great places where you can do that quicker and better,” Medvedev replied. He also told the unsatisfied teachers to take on a second job and venture into “business.”

His comments were widely seen by his compatriots as inappropriate, out of touch with reality, and uncaring about the plight of the educated working class.

“The cabinet should be led by a person who is competent, educated and cares about the country,” Alexander Li, who launched the anti-Medvedev petition, wrote on social media. “We are seeing the opposite right now.”

The lower house of parliament is obliged to take into consideration any petition that gets 100,000 signatures.

In May, Medvedev caused public outrage over his twisted remarks about a group of cash-strapped pensioners. “There's no money, but hang in there,” he said to the group.

“Have a good day, and good health,” he added, before turning around and leaving.

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