Putin reappoints Russian PM after election victory

MOSCOW: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was reappointed as head of the country´s government on Friday, following weeks of speculation over a possible political reshuffle in Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin is constitutionally required to name -- or reappoint -- his government ministers following victory in a March election devoid of opposition.

“A lot has been done under difficult conditions, and it seems to me, that it would be right for us to continue working together...,” Putin told Mishustin earlier on Friday.

“I think we are on the right track,” he added.

Russian lawmakers later approved his reappointment in a rubber-stamp vote.

Mishustin, who previously headed the country´s tax service, was first appointed in 2020.

He is seen as a technocrat tasked with executing policies dictated by the Kremlin.

“We will do everything we can to develop our economy, to justify the trust of our people, and I am confident that under your leadership we will accomplish all the tasks that have been set,” Mishustin said to Putin after securing his endorsement.

Other government ministers are expected to be put forward for nomination in the coming weeks.

Russian political analysts have for weeks been talking about the possibility Putin might shake-up the government´s ranks, more than two years into a Ukraine offensive that has reshaped the country´s economy.

During his quarter-century in power, Putin has typically relied on a coterie of loyalists and allies, while ensuring that no individual can gain enough power or popularity to be seen as a possible rival or successor.