Putin forms his new team

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin put forward several proposals to President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday concerning the new government.

Photo: Putin forms his new team

“We have prepared all necessary documents concerning the government organization, personal appointments, deputy premiers and federal ministers,” Putin said.

Afterwards Medvedev confirmed the new staff of the government and the Cabinet, and Putin left for the White House, where he named the key ministers and deputy premiers.

In the new government the number of deputy premiers increased from five to seven, and the major posts were taken by former leaders of the presidential administration. Former assistant to the president, Igor Shuvalov, as well as former Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov became first premiers. Former head of the presidential administration Sergey Sobyanin became deputy premier, and former deputy head of the presidential administration, Igor Sechin, became deputy premier responsible for industry.

The posts were preserved by Deputy Premier Alexander Zhukov and Alexey Kudrin. Kudrin will head the Ministry of Finance as he did for the past eight years. According to Putin, Zhukov will supervise national projects. Sergey Ivanov is no longer first deputy premier and will remain deputy head of the Cabinet.

New members of the government are president’s former presidential envoy in the Volga administrative district Alexander Konovalov, former head of the presidential protocol Igor Shchogolev and former ambassador to France Viktor Avdeyev.

Alexander Konovalov replaced Vladimir Ustinov as the Minister of Justice. Igor Shchogolev became the Minister of Information Technology and Mass Communication. Earlier these functions were shared between Minister of Information Technology and Communications Leonid Reyman and the Minister of Culture and Mass Communications Alexander Sokolov. Viktor Avdeyev became the Minister of Culture.

The posts remained the same with the Minister for Education and Science Andrey Fursenko, the head of the Ministry for Agriculture Aleksey Gordeyev, the Minister of Regional Development Dmitry Kozak, the head of the Ministry for Natural Resources Yury Trutnev and the Minister for Transportation Igor Levitin.

The Ministry for Economic Development was headed by Elvira Nabiullina who used to be in charge of the Ministry for Economic Development and Trade.

According to the new government organization, the ministries for industry and energy were split into the Ministry for Energy and the Ministry for Industry.

Functions of the state trade policy were taken by the Ministry for Industry and Trade headed by former Minister for Industry and Energy Viktor Khristenko. The state energy policy will go to the Ministry for Energy headed by former head of Russian contractor Atomstroiexport, Sergei Shmatko.

The new Cabinet will not include Deputy Premier Sergey Naryshkin, Minister for Information Technology and Communications Leonid Reyman and Minister for Culture Alexander Sokolov.

As to structural changes, a new federal agency on CIS issues was established. Besides, the Ministry for Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy was set up. The Ministry for Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy was headed by Vitaly Mutko who used to run the Russian Football Union.

Vremya Novostei

Translated by Julia Bulygina
Pravda.ru