Putin proposes Federal Tax Service head Mishustin as next Prime Minister
by RT
Putin proposes Federal Tax Service head Mishustin as next Prime Minister
Russian President Valdimir Putin has suggested the head of Federal Tax Service as a candidate for the post of Prime Minister after the government resigned earlier on Tuesday.
Mikhail Mishustin, 53, holds Ph.D. in economics and had a long career as a government official with some breaks for running his own business a decade ago. He was heading Russia’s Tax Service since 2010.
Putin has met with Mishustin and offered him the PM’s position which he accepted, the Kremlin said.
Outgoing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev offered his resignation after Putin’s annual state of the nation address, in which the President suggested several key amendments to the Russian Constitution.
Among them was expanding the powers of the parliament, so that the MPs would have to approve the candidacies of the PM and his ministers. The proposals also affected the functions of the President, the Constitutional Court and other bodies. The amendments will bring “significant change… to the balance of power” in Russia after they go into force, Medvedev said, explaining his decision. In view of this, the government should resign to “provide the president with a capability to make all decisions,” he said.
