Putin reappoints his loyal ally Mikhail Mishustin as Russia's Prime Minister

Just days after commencing his new term as the Russian President, Vladimir Putin reappointed Mikhail Mishustin as the country’s prime minister. The 58-year-old technocrat was handed over the prime ministerial post for the second time consecutively.

During his previous stint as Russia’s Prime Minister, Mishustin reflected little to no political ambitions. Adhering to the laws, the Russian premier resigned from the PM’s post on Tuesday. He has already served as the country’s prime minister for the past four years.

Mishustin’s resignation came the same day Putin began his fifth presidential term after a grand inauguration.

An expected call

Mishustin’s reappointment to the prime ministerial post was widely expected by political observers. Several experts believed that the Russian president has appreciated his skills and low political profile.

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In the past, Mishustin has served as the former head of Russia’s tax service. Throughout his career, the Russian technocrat has steered clear of political statements. During his last stint as the country’s PM, he rarely gave media interviews and his take on the Russia-Ukraine war was never made public.

According to The Associated Press, the speaker of the parliament’s lower house, Vyacheslav Volodin, announced that Putin has submitted Mishustin’s candidacy to the State Duma. The Russian body will be conducting a session later on Friday to consider his candidacy.

According to the amendment introduced to the Russian constitution in 2020, the lower house approves the candidacy of the prime minister, who then submits the candidacy of cabinet members.

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Given their effort to stabilise the economy at a time of war, most of the cabinet members are also expected to keep their jobs. Hence, the other re-appointments are also expected to take place shortly.

Fate of Shoigu remain uncertain 

While many are expecting Putin to go ahead with the same cabinet, the fate of the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu remains uncertain. Two major reasons for these uncertainties are; military setbacks Russia witnessed while fighting against Ukraine and last month’s arrest of his top associate, Timur Ivanov.

Ivanov served as deputy defence minister of Russia and was in charge of multibillion military construction projects. However, he was arrested on bribery charges and was ordered to stay in custody. Many considered the arrest of Ivanov, as a reflection of souring ties between Shoigu and Putin.

In the past, Shoigu was slammed by many after Russia faced military setbacks in the war. The condemnation was intensified after Ukraine was able to liberate its prominent city, Kherson, from Russian occupation.

During his turbulent time as the country’s defence minister Shoigu also faced scathing attacks from Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. The criticism was followed by Wargner’s brief attempt to march towards Moscow and the death of the Wagner boss.

With inputs from agencies.