Old-school liberal Andrei Tur died on Tuesday in Minsk at 63 after a serious illness, tut.by reports.
Andrei Tur was among the highest officials of the country since 1995. He was born in St. Petersburg, graduated from the Economic University, defended his PhD thesis at 27 years, and a doctorate in 39, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Economy. Andrei Tur was deputy minister until 2011. Economy Ministers changed, but professor Tur remained.
When asked why Tur stays, experts answered that only he could present the unpopular economic decisions as progressive.
Andrei Tur stood for a number of progressive initiatives. He also made contribution into the President’s directive on the liberalization #4. He willingly established a dialogue with representatives of business circles and opposed the rules, which prohibited SPs to hire their relatives.
In 2011, Tur was appointed deputy head of the Presidential Administration. At the time, Aleksandr Lukashenka called for change, noting that the economic unit in the Presidential Administration should not duplicate the activities of the government but get a political coloring. Tur left this position in 2013 after a scandal at “Barysaudreu”.
Tur gained popularity online thanks to the video where he advises the businessman “to live within their means”.
Andrei Tur is survived by wife and daughter.
