MOSCOW (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday reappointed Mikhail Mishustin as prime minister, a widely expected move to keep a politically unknown technocrat in the role.
Mr. Mishustin and other technocrats in his cabinet are credited with maintaining a relatively stable economic performance despite the blow from Western sanctions over Russia’s role in Ukraine. Most of the other ministers expected to maintain employmentbut the fate of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu seemed uncertain.
In accordance with Russian law, Mishustin, 58, who has held the position for the past four years, submitted his resignation from the cabinet on Tuesday, as Putin began his glittering fifth presidential term. Kremlin inauguration ceremony.
Mishustin, a former head of Russia’s tax service, avoided political statements and avoided media interviews during his previous term.
In a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the president assured that there would be “no interruptions in government activities” and promised to “ensure the continuity of all national goals.”
“We will do our best to develop the economy in order to live up to the people’s trust,” Mishustin said.
Hours after President Putin submitted Mishustin’s candidacy to the State Duma, the State Duma, lawmakers scrutinized his candidacy in a hastily convened meeting.
Under the constitutional reforms approved in 2020, the House of Commons approves the candidacy of the prime minister, who then submits his cabinet for approval. The changes were ostensibly aimed at giving parliament broader powers, but the process is widely seen as a formality given the Kremlin’s overwhelming control over parliament. .
Most cabinet ministers are expected to continue in their jobs, but it is unclear whether Defense Minister Shoigu will be included in the cabinet after taking office. arrest last month About his best colleague Timur Ivanov.
Ivanov, who served as deputy defense minister in charge of major military construction projects, was arrested on suspicion of bribery and ordered to be detained pending an official investigation.
Ivanov’s arrest was widely interpreted as an attack on Shoigu and a possible precursor to his removal, despite his close personal relationship with Putin.
Shoigu was widely criticized for forcing Russian forces to retreat during the early stages of the fighting in Ukraine. He faced a brutal attack from mercenary commander Evgeny Prigozhin. marched to Moscow Almost a year ago, it called for the ouster of Mr. Shoigu and his chief of staff, General Valery Gerasimov.
rear Death of Prigogine A suspicious plane crash two months after the uprising, widely seen as Kremlin retaliation, appeared to have strengthened Shoigu’s position. But Mr. Ivanov’s arrest, interpreted by many as part of political infighting in the Kremlin, has once again exposed Mr. Shoigu’s vulnerability.
