Prime minister Dmitry Medvedev steps down
Russian prime minister submitted his resignations shortly after President Vladimir Putin’s annual state-of-the-nation address on Wednesday.
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Several Russian news agencies said Putin noted that the prime minister’s government failed to fulfill all the objectives set for it.
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Medvedev was at the same time appointed deputy head of the Security Council where Putin is the head.
In a meeting with President Putin on Wednesday afternoon, the outgoing cabinet leader underlined that he retires following the major constitutional reforms announced by Putin in his speech to the legislative assembly.
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“Under these circumstances I consider it right that the federal government in line with Article 117 of the Constitution steps down in its current form,” Medvedev said in the meeting.
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Dmitry Medvedev has served as prime minister since 2012 when he stepped down as president and Vladimir Putin again took over Kremlin.
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Earlier on Wednesday, Putin held his annual address to the nation where he said the constitution should be amended to give more power to the State Duma and the prime minister’s government. If approved by the people in a referendum, Putin said, the measures will allow the State Duma to have a greater say in approving both the prime minister and other ministers in the government.
Mishustin new PM
Just two hours after Medvedev resigned, Putin nominated Mikhail Mishustin, head of Russia’s tax service, to be the new prime minister.
Dmitry Medvedev is from St. Petersburg and was brought to Moscow by Vladimir Putin in late 1999. When Putin was appointed president on New Year’s Eve 1999, Medvedev became deputy head of the presidental staff. In 2000, he was campaign manager for Putin for the presidential elections. Later that year, he was appointed Chairman of Gazprom. In 2008 became president of the Russian Federation.
Dmitry Medvedev has visited Norway two times; in April 2010 he and Norway’s Prime minister Jens Stoltenberg surprisingly announced the maritime delimitation treaty between the two countries in in the Barents Sea. In May 2013, then as prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev visited Kirkenes in northernmost Norway participating in the Barents Summit, marking the 20th anniversary of the Barents cooperation.
