Mikhail Mishustin has been ratified as next Prime Minister of Russia by MPs, after a cabinet resignation on Wednesday. Vladimir Putin had earlier proposed Mishustin, formerly head of the Federal Tax Service, as a candidate.
Mishustin has already promised a major cabinet reshuffle, meaning that some fresh faces could emerge as new ministers. On the previous day, he held hour-long talks with top MPs at the State Duma, after which house speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that he was well-known to lawmakers.
Mishustin was suggested by President Vladimir Putin as a replacement to the long-time premier Dmitry Medvedev, who has been offered a position as deputy chief of Russia’s Security Council.
The 53-year-old politician has worked in government since 1998 and has been described as a low-profile technocrat who managed to propel Russia’s tax service to remarkable efficiency.
