Lang Says He 'Must Consider' Leaving
Surviving a vote of no confidence in Parliament today, Minister of Culture Rein Lang said he has weighed stepping down voluntarily.
Lang said he "must consider" whether it is possible to continue in his post in the current atmosphere.
"The minister of culture gets the idea to quit at least once a week. I think my predecessors can confirm that," Lang said.
"Now, the thought to end my activity as minister of culture no longer visits me once a week, but once a day. I guess we'll have to see when it materializes," Lang said.
The minister is taking heat for purportedly intervening in an independent, publicly funded cultural publication, Sirp, with claims that he pressured managers to a round of major staff sackings. Lang has denied the accusations, saying that the only evidence has been his meetings with Sirp's new interim editor in chief and the publisher, with the latter accusing Lang of ordering the sackings. But Lang said he did not push for layoffs at the meetings and had only discussed financial restructuring and the paper's 2014 budget.
"I reject all accusations of lying and I confirm that I have not intervened in the activities of the cultural publication's board or management. All of the decisions were made in a free environment without pressure from me or my party members," Lang said.