Mikhail Mishustin: What we know about Russia's new prime minister - CNN - 0 views
-
He may not even have had an English-language Wikipedia page on Wednesday morning, but former tax official Mikhail Mishustin is now Russian prime minister.Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, confirmed Mishustin's new role Thursday amid a major political shakeup.
-
Prior to his appointment, Mishustin served as the head of the Federal Tax Service, where he forged a reputation as a skilled technocrat who successfully reformed the country's fiscal system.
-
Mishustin is largely unknown to the Russian public and had previously showed little political ambition.
- ...3 more annotations...
-
Mishustin's appointment comes after previous prime minister Dmitry Medvedev, along with the entire Russian government, resigned Wednesday to clear the way for reforms that could potentially extend Putin's grip on power after his presidential term ends in 2024.
-
Putin has proposed constitutional amendments that would effectively strengthen the powers of the prime minister and parliament at the expense of the presidency -- weakening his successor in the process -- but the exact machinations behind the plan remain unclear.
-
"Mishustin -- this is digitalization, clarity, modern professionalism, decency, the elimination of barriers to legitimate activity, innovative solutions, openness to world technology while taking care of proper sovereignty ... hostility to violent power methods -- in short, everything that we need right now,"