Mikhail Mishustin, who was nominated by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the candidate for the post of Prime Minister, gestures as he speaks during a session of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in Moscow, Russia January 16, 2020. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia’s lawmakers approved Mikhail Mishustin as prime minister on Thursday in a lower house vote, less than 24 hours after President Vladimir Putin nominated him for the role.

Mishustin received 383 votes of 424 cast, with no votes against and 41 abstentions in a victory that had been all but assured when he won the unanimous backing of his party, United Russia, which has a strong majority in the chamber.

Mishustin’s elevation is part of a sweeping shake-up of the political system announced by Putin on Wednesday, which led to the resignation of Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister along with his government.