Putin rolls new Cabinet
Putin retains Lavrov
President
Vladimir Putin put his stamp on a new government Monday that kept his
most trusted allies in charge of finance while leaving a tested veteran
at the foreign ministry helm.
Putin named Igor Shuvalov as first deputy prime minister in charge of finance while Sergei Lavrov was retained at the foreign ministry, amid Russia's standoff with the West over Syria and other regional security issues.
A key ally of President Vladimir Putin retained his post as the Russian government’s number 2 on Monday, raising question marks over the role of new Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
“The First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation is Igor Ivanovich Shuvalov," Putin said.
Shuvalov, 45, was named first deputy prime minister in the new government, formed two weeks after Putin’s inauguration as president for a third term. No other first deputy prime ministers were named, a departure from previous cabinets.
His reappointment signals that Russia plans to continue the economic policies pursued during Putin’s 2008-2012 stint as prime minister.
“This appointment surprised no one,” said analyst Lilia Shevtsovaat the Carnegie Moscow Center think-tank. “This government is officially Medvedev’s, but in reality it is Putin’s.”
“Shuvalov, who is a very experienced politician, will coordinate the work of other ministers,” she added.
Pro-Putin economist Andrei Belosouv takes over as economy minister, in one of the few major reshuffles.
Another close Putin ally, Igor Sechin, loses his post as deputy prime minister, but maintains influence over energy policy after Putin nominated him to the board of the main state energy holding company on his last day as prime minister.
In one other key change, Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev was replaced by Moscow police chief Vladimir Kolokoltsev. Nurgaliyev, who had been in the post since 2003, had come under criticism over a number of scandals involving Russia’s police force.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov retained his post, as did Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. Anton Siluanov stayed on as finance minister.
Seven other deputy prime ministers were named. They are Vladislav Surkov, Dmitry Kozak, Dmitry Rogozin, Arkady Dvorkovich, Alexander Khloponin, and Olga Golodets.
The head of the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys, Dmitry Livanov, was appointed the new Education and Science Minister in place of Andrei Fursenko, who was criticized in media for his widely questioned attempts to reform the country’s education system.
The Health and Social Development Ministry, headed by Tatiana Golikova, was split into the Health Ministry and the Labor and Social Welfare Ministry, which will now be headed by Former Deputy Health and Social Development Minister Veronika Skvortsova and Maxim Topilin, respectively. Topilin was in charge of the Federal Labor and Employment Service in 2004-2008.
New additions to the Cabinet, which now has 21 instead of 19 ministers, include the Far East Development Minister, a job that went to Viktor Ishayev, who was also made Putin’s envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District.
Another new entry is Mikhail Abysov, who is now Open Government Contacts Minister. The open government, also known as the big government, is a semi-formal project by ex-President and current Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev aimed at uniting experts and analysts and providing the real government with better feedback from the populace.
In the economic bloc, Andrei Belousov became the new head of the Economic Development Ministry; former Chuvashia Governor Nikolai Fyodorov became Agriculture Minister; Alexander Novak was appointed head of the Energy Ministry; Maxim Sokolov was made Transportation Minister; Nikolai Nikiforov was made head of the Communications and Press Ministry; Oleg Govorun will head the Regional Development Ministry, Denis Manturov will head the Industry and Trade Ministry, and Dmitry Donskoi - the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.
Other appointees include Vladimir Puchkov as the new Emergency Situations Minister and Vladimir Medinsky as the Culture Minister. Alexander Konovalov and Vitaly Mutko retained their respective jobs as Justice and Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy Ministers.
Putin cited considerations over the forming of Russia’s new government as the reason for his decision to skip this weekend's G8 summit in the United States.Media agencies
Putin named Igor Shuvalov as first deputy prime minister in charge of finance while Sergei Lavrov was retained at the foreign ministry, amid Russia's standoff with the West over Syria and other regional security issues.
A key ally of President Vladimir Putin retained his post as the Russian government’s number 2 on Monday, raising question marks over the role of new Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
“The First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation is Igor Ivanovich Shuvalov," Putin said.
Shuvalov, 45, was named first deputy prime minister in the new government, formed two weeks after Putin’s inauguration as president for a third term. No other first deputy prime ministers were named, a departure from previous cabinets.
His reappointment signals that Russia plans to continue the economic policies pursued during Putin’s 2008-2012 stint as prime minister.
“This appointment surprised no one,” said analyst Lilia Shevtsovaat the Carnegie Moscow Center think-tank. “This government is officially Medvedev’s, but in reality it is Putin’s.”
“Shuvalov, who is a very experienced politician, will coordinate the work of other ministers,” she added.
Pro-Putin economist Andrei Belosouv takes over as economy minister, in one of the few major reshuffles.
Another close Putin ally, Igor Sechin, loses his post as deputy prime minister, but maintains influence over energy policy after Putin nominated him to the board of the main state energy holding company on his last day as prime minister.
In one other key change, Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev was replaced by Moscow police chief Vladimir Kolokoltsev. Nurgaliyev, who had been in the post since 2003, had come under criticism over a number of scandals involving Russia’s police force.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov retained his post, as did Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. Anton Siluanov stayed on as finance minister.
Seven other deputy prime ministers were named. They are Vladislav Surkov, Dmitry Kozak, Dmitry Rogozin, Arkady Dvorkovich, Alexander Khloponin, and Olga Golodets.
The head of the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys, Dmitry Livanov, was appointed the new Education and Science Minister in place of Andrei Fursenko, who was criticized in media for his widely questioned attempts to reform the country’s education system.
The Health and Social Development Ministry, headed by Tatiana Golikova, was split into the Health Ministry and the Labor and Social Welfare Ministry, which will now be headed by Former Deputy Health and Social Development Minister Veronika Skvortsova and Maxim Topilin, respectively. Topilin was in charge of the Federal Labor and Employment Service in 2004-2008.
New additions to the Cabinet, which now has 21 instead of 19 ministers, include the Far East Development Minister, a job that went to Viktor Ishayev, who was also made Putin’s envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District.
Another new entry is Mikhail Abysov, who is now Open Government Contacts Minister. The open government, also known as the big government, is a semi-formal project by ex-President and current Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev aimed at uniting experts and analysts and providing the real government with better feedback from the populace.
In the economic bloc, Andrei Belousov became the new head of the Economic Development Ministry; former Chuvashia Governor Nikolai Fyodorov became Agriculture Minister; Alexander Novak was appointed head of the Energy Ministry; Maxim Sokolov was made Transportation Minister; Nikolai Nikiforov was made head of the Communications and Press Ministry; Oleg Govorun will head the Regional Development Ministry, Denis Manturov will head the Industry and Trade Ministry, and Dmitry Donskoi - the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.
Other appointees include Vladimir Puchkov as the new Emergency Situations Minister and Vladimir Medinsky as the Culture Minister. Alexander Konovalov and Vitaly Mutko retained their respective jobs as Justice and Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy Ministers.
Putin cited considerations over the forming of Russia’s new government as the reason for his decision to skip this weekend's G8 summit in the United States.Media agencies
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