Moscow, Russia:
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was reappointed as head of the country's government on Friday, after weeks of speculation about a possible political reshuffle in Moscow.
President Vladimir Putin is constitutionally obliged to appoint – or reappoint – his ministers after winning unopposed in March elections.
“A lot has been done under difficult circumstances, and it seems to me that it would be good if we continued to work together…” Putin told Mishustin earlier Friday.
“I think we are on the right track,” he added.
Mishustin, who previously headed the country's tax authorities, was first appointed in 2020.
He is seen as a technocrat charged with implementing 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 assigned to us,” Mishustin told Putin after his had received support.
It is expected that other ministers will also be nominated for appointment in the coming weeks.
Russian political analysts have been talking for weeks about the possibility that Putin could shake up the government's ranks after more than two years of a Ukraine offensive that has reshaped the country's economy.
During his quarter-century in power, Putin has typically relied on a group of loyalists and allies, while ensuring that no individual could gain enough power or popularity to be seen as a possible rival or successor.
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