Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again designated Mikhail Mishustin as the country’s prime minister. Mishustin’s previous term was characterized by his unassuming demeanor and lack of political aspirations.
According to Russian law, Mishustin, 58, who held the job for the past four years, submitted his cabinet’s resignation on Tuesday when Putin began his fifth presidential term at a glittering Kremlin inauguration.
The reappointment of Mikhail Mishustin was widely anticipated by political analysts, who observed Putin’s admiration for Mishustin’s competence and his avoidance of the political limelight. Previously, Mishustin, a former head of Russia’s tax service, refrained from making political statements and avoided media interactions.
Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the lower house of parliament, disclosed that Putin has proposed Mishustin’s candidacy to the State Duma, which will hold a session later Friday to consider it.
As per the constitutional amendments endorsed in 2020, the lower house is responsible for approving the prime minister’s candidacy, who subsequently puts forward the names of Cabinet members.
Mishustin’s approval in Kremlin-controlled parliament: A formality
The approval of Mishustin’s candidacy is largely a formality in the Kremlin-controlled parliament. Mishustin and other technocrats in the Cabinet received acknowledgment for maintaining a relatively steady economic performance despite substantial Western sanctions.
Most Cabinet members are anticipated to retain their positions, with their reappointments expected imminently. However, uncertainty looms over the future of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu following the recent arrest of his close associate, Timur Ivanov.
Ivanov, who served as deputy defense minister in charge of multibillion-dollar military construction projects, was arrested on bribery charges and was ordered to stay in custody pending an official investigation.
The arrest of Ivanov was widely interpreted as an attack on Shoigu and a possible precursor to his dismissal, despite his close personal ties with Putin.
Shoigu was widely criticized for the Russian military’s setbacks in the early stages of the fighting in Ukraine. He faced scathing attacks from mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who launched a brief attempted march on Moscow last June to demand the ouster of Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov.
After Prigozhin died in a suspicious air crash two months after the rebellion that was broadly widely seen as a Kremlin revenge for his mutiny, Shoigu appeared to shore up his position, but Ivanov’s arrest, seen as part of Kremlin’s political infighting, again exposed Shoigu’s vulnerability.