The little-known head of Russia's tax service, Mikhail Mishustin, was named as the next prime minister of Russia hours after Dmitry Medvedev resigned on Wednesday, capping a day of unexpected changes to Russian politics.

"President Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with Mikhail Mishustin and suggested that he take on the duties of the head of government," the Kremlin press service said. "With his consent, [Putin] submitted the prime ministerial candidacy of Mishustin to be considered in the Duma."

Mishustin has been leading Russia's federal tax authority since 2010 and is not considered a high-profile politician in Russia.

"The candidacy of Mishustin is absolutely unexpected, but this does not mean that he is a person which causes resistance," the deputy head of Russia's Federation Council, Ilyas Umakhanov, told the Interfax news agency. "Not all heads of tax institutions enjoy sympathies and affection. In my opinion, this is the prevalent public mood towards Mishustin."

Umakhanov described the tax official as a man of "great experience, the person who was part of the system."

Who is Mishustin?

Mishustin, 53, was born in Moscow and worked as an IT expert in the 1990s. He began working in the tax service in 1998 and was later named deputy tax minister. In 2008, he served as the head of Russian investment company UFG, which at the time cooperated with Germany's Deutsche Bank. Mishustin was named head of Russia's tax service in 2010 after his predecessor left for another post. The newly appointed prime minister is also a member of the board of Russia's Ice Hockey Federation.

Mishustin met with senior Duma lawmakers on Wednesday evening after being tapped for the new role. The lower house of Russia's parliament is due to vote on his candidacy on Thursday.

Top tax official Mishustin (l) is set to take over as prime minister from Dmitry Medvedev (r)

'Not everything works out'

The news came on the heels of President Vladimir Putin's annual speech to lawmakers where he proposed a series of constitutional reforms that would grant more powers to parliament — including the ability to select the prime minister.

The changes would significantly alter the country's balance of power and so "the government in its current form has resigned," Medvedev said on state television while seated next to Putin.

The prime minister said the move was aimed at clearing the way for the changes to be made. Putin earlier said the constitutional amendments would be put to a referendum.

Putin has asked the outgoing government to continue to carry out their duties until a new government is formed. The Russian president added that he was "satisfied with the government's performance" although the government failed to fulfill certain tasks, reported news agency Interfax.

"Not everything worked out, but everything never works out," Putin said.

Watch video 01:07 Share Russians on Putin Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3V4MV Russians express their views on Putin

Kremlin power struggle

While Putin and Medvedev appeared to present a united front in their public appearance, Russian political analyst Alexey Kurtov interpreted the prime minister's resignation as a show of "disagreement" with sweeping changes suggested by Putin.

"I think this was a spontaneous reaction from Medvedev, who disagreed with the general line of the president's proposals," said Kurtov, who serves as president of the Russian Association of Political Consultants (RAPC).

According to Kurtov, Medvedev has been engaged in a long-running power struggle with the current Duma speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin. The proposed changes would give the Duma powers to appoint the prime minister.

Putin heading for the Duma?

The maneuver could prove crucial for Putin's future. The former FSB chief took power in 2000 and has since served as both president and prime minister. The 67-year-old is currently in his second consecutive term as president and is prohibited by law to run for another term.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power KGB cadet Born in St.Petersburg in 1952, Putin signed up with the Soviet intelligence agency the KGB right out of law school in 1975. His first assignment was to monitor foreign nationals and consulate employees in his home city, then called Leningrad. He was then assigned to Dresden, East Germany. He reportedly burned hundreds of KGB files after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power Political mentor Putin was one of the deputies to St Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak from 1991 to 1996. Sobchak met Putin at Leningrad State University and the two men were close until Sobchak's death in 2000. Despite accusations of corruption, Sobchak was never charged.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power Meteoric rise Putin quickly leapt from St.Petersburg to Moscow. In 1997, President Boris Yeltsin gave Putin a mid-level position on his staff — a position Putin would use to cultivate important political friendships that would serve him in the decades to come.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power Death of a friend Putin was deeply affected by Anatoly Sobchak's death in 2000. After the apprentice outstripped his teacher politically, Sobchak became a vocal early proponent of Putin's bid for the presidency. A year earlier, Putin used his political connections to have fraud allegations against Sobchak dropped, the beginning of a pattern for friends of the former spy.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power Temporary president In June 2000, Boris Yeltsin stepped down, leaving his prime minister to become interim leader. As he was running for his successful presidential campaign, corruption allegations from his time on the city government in St.Petersburg resurfaced. Marina Salye, the lawmaker who brought up the claims, was silenced and forced to leave the city.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power Tandemocracy When Putin was constitutionally barred from running for a third consecutive term in 2008, his Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ran in his stead. When Medvedev was elected, he appointed Putin as premier. This led to criticism of a "tandemocracy," in Moscow, with many people believing that Medvedev was Putin's puppet.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power Victory In March 2018, Vladimir Putin was elected to his fourth term as president. Because the presidential term has been extended, this means Putin will be in power for the next six years. However, the election was marred by a lack of opposition to the incumbent, as well as allegations of vote tampering and ballot-stuffing.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power Putin pushes for constitutional reform Less than two years after his latest election victory, Putin unexpectedly announced sweeping constitutional changes that prompted his most loyal ally, Dmitry Medvedev, to resign. He was replaced by little-known Mikhail Mishustin (R). Soon after that, Putin hinted he was willing to run again when his current term expires in 2024. Author: Elizabeth Schumacher



"I wouldn't exclude that Putin sees himself taking on the speaker's chair in the parliament in the future," political analyst Abbas Gallyamov told DW. "Since Putin's main task now is to secure his own political future, we can assume he is paving the way for himself there."

Opposition politician and former economy minister Andrey Nechayev told DW that Puting was "sounding out the terrain, in order to stay in power forever."

While Medvedev is set to leave the prime ministerial seat, Putin signaled he would keep his longtime ally near the center of power as the deputy head of Russia's Security Council. The committee is chaired by Putin himself and deals with affairs of national security. The prime minister, several government ministers and heads of security agencies are among the council's members. On Wednesday, Putin suggested creating the position of Council's deputy chief and said Medvedev should take the post.

"It feels like Medvedev is being put in reserve," analyst Alexey Makarkin told Russia's Interfax news agency. "The Security Council post, which is offerted to Medvedev, is senior, but also not autonomous."

With Putin's support, Mishustin is virtually guaranteed to win the parliamentary vote that would allow him replace Medvedev as Russia's new prime minister.



Watch video 01:26 Medvedev visits Crimea (2014)

dj,rs/stb (AP, AFP, Reuters, Interfax)

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