The little-known head of Russia's tax service is taking over after the government's shock resignation. The overhaul fueled speculation about President Vladimir Putin's plans for maintaining power after his term ends.
Lawmakers approved Russian President Vladimir Putin's nomination for a new prime minister on Thursday, following a series of bombshell announcements including constitutional changes and the resignation of the government.
The State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, voted in favor of tax authority chief Mikhail Mishustin. He received 383 votes out of the 424 cast — which included 41 abstentions. Putin later formally signed off on Mishustin's nomination, making his promotion to prime minister official.
In an address to parliament ahead of the vote, Mishustin said that Russians must "feel real changes for the better" and that he was committed to keeping inflation at around 4%.
He added that all members of his government will "bear personal responsibility" for achieving Putin's economic development program, Russian news agency Interfax reported.
On Wednesday, Putin said he was "satisfied" with the previous government's performance, although it failed to fulfill certain tasks.
Mishustin's nomination to replace Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister came as a surprise. Mishustin has been leading Russia's federal tax authority since 2010 and is not considered a high-profile politician in Russia.
It was not immediately clear whether Mishustin will be a temporary figure or if he was selected as a possible successor to Putin. The new prime minister said that an announcement will be made in the next few days about the composition of his Cabinet.
The shocking overhaul in Russian politics came after Putin's annual speech to lawmakers on Wednesday where he proposed a series of constitutional reforms that would grant more powers to parliament — including the ability to select the prime minister.
Shortly after the announcement, Medvedev announced that he and the rest of the Russian government were resigning to clear the way for the changes to be made.
The day of announcements sparked speculation about what path Putin will take to maintain his grip on power after his presidential term ends in 2024.
Putin, a former FSB chief, has been in power in Russia for over 20 years and has served as both president and prime minister. The 67-year-old is currently in his second consecutive term as president and is prohibited by law to run for another term.
Vladimir Putin: The road to power
Vladimir Putin has just been elected to a fourth term. A look at the Russian president's rise from low-level KGB agent to unstoppable political force — by whatever means necessary.
Image: picture-alliance/Russian Look
KGB cadet
Born in St.Petersburg in 1952, Putin signed up with the Soviet intelligence agency the KGB right out of law school in 1975. His first assignment was to monitor foreign nationals and consulate employees in his home city, then called Leningrad. He was then assigned to Dresden, East Germany. He reportedly burned hundreds of KGB files after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Putin was one of the deputies to St Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak from 1991 to 1996. Sobchak met Putin at Leningrad State University and the two men were close until Sobchak's death in 2000. Despite accusations of corruption, Sobchak was never charged.
Image: Imago/ITAR-TASS
Meteoric rise
Putin quickly leapt from St.Petersburg to Moscow. In 1997, President Boris Yeltsin gave Putin a mid-level position on his staff — a position Putin would use to cultivate important political friendships that would serve him in the decades to come.
Image: picture alliance/AP Images
Death of a friend
Putin was deeply affected by Anatoly Sobchak's death in 2000. After the apprentice outstripped his teacher politically, Sobchak became a vocal early proponent of Putin's bid for the presidency. A year earlier, Putin used his political connections to have fraud allegations against Sobchak dropped, the beginning of a pattern for friends of the former spy.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Chirikov
Temporary president
In June 2000, Boris Yeltsin stepped down, leaving his prime minister to become interim leader. As he was running for his successful presidential campaign, corruption allegations from his time on the city government in St.Petersburg resurfaced. Marina Salye, the lawmaker who brought up the claims, was silenced and forced to leave the city.
Image: Imago/ITAR-TASS
Tandemocracy
When Putin was constitutionally barred from running for a third consecutive term in 2008, his Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ran in his stead. When Medvedev was elected, he appointed Putin as premier. This led to criticism of a "tandemocracy," in Moscow, with many people believing that Medvedev was Putin's puppet.
Image: Imago/ITAR-TASS
Victory
In March 2018, Vladimir Putin was elected to his fourth term as president. Because the presidential term has been extended, this means Putin will be in power for the next six years. However, the election was marred by a lack of opposition to the incumbent, as well as allegations of vote tampering and ballot-stuffing.
Image: Reuters/D. Mdzinarishvili
Putin pushes for constitutional reform
Less than two years after his latest election victory, Putin unexpectedly announced sweeping constitutional changes that prompted his most loyal ally, Dmitry Medvedev, to resign. He was replaced by little-known Mikhail Mishustin (R). Soon after that, Putin hinted he was willing to run again when his current term expires in 2024.
