Russian President Dmitry Medvedev gave Prime Minister Vladimir Putin a July 1 deadline on Saturday to "initiate" the removal of top ministers from state company boards, including powerful Putin deputy Igor Sechin.
Medvedev's call for Sechin and other Putin allies to relinquish posts as board members of state companies has stoked speculation the president may be challenging his mentor ahead of the March 2012 presidential election. Medvedev and Putin have jointly ruled Russia since Medvedev succeeded Putin as president in 2008, with Putin widely seen as the more powerful of the two men.
They have said they will decide together which of them will run for president next year. Analysts give conflicting views over how serious a perceived split between them is. Russian companies hold their annual meetings by the end of June. The July 1 deadline left it unclear whether Medvedev would force out powerful bureaucrats from their corporate posts.
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