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Putin asks Duma to approve Kasyanov as prime minister |
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May 11, 2000
MOSCOW, MAY 10 (AP) - President Vladimir Putin asked the lower house of parliament Wednesday to approve Mikhail Kasyanov as prime minister, and lawmakers were expected to quickly approve the choice.
Kasyanov has effectively led the Cabinet since early January, when Putin - at that time both acting president and prime minister - appointed made him first deputy prime minister.
Putin named Kasyanov acting prime minister just hours after he was sworn in as president on Sunday. Putin sent a formal letter of nomination to the State Duma, or lower house of parliament, on Wednesday, the presidential press service reported.
Under Russian law, the president appoints the prime minister, who must then be approved by the Duma. Lawmakers don't have any say on other Cabinet appointments.
The Duma, controlled by pro-government moderates, is expected to quickly approve Kasyanov's appointment, which had been widely anticipated.
Duma speaker Gennady Seleznyov told reporters that the lower house would consider Kasyanov's appointment next Wednesday and hinted that the outcome would be positive. "Most lawmakers aren't allergic to Kasyanov," he said.
Kasyanov, 43, entered government service during the Soviet era with the Gosplan state planning agency, where he worked for nine years. He then moved to the state foreign economic relations committee in 1990, and steadily rose through the government ranks. He became prominent in 1998 as a top Finance Ministry negotiator with foreign creditors.
He was named finance minister in 1999 and persuaded the London Club of creditors this February to write off billions of dollars in Soviet-era loans.
Kasyanov, who speaks English fluently, is seen as a professional with pro-reform views. One of his biggest challenges will be to revive the economy after years of decline.
The economy has picked up in recent months largely thanks to a rise in oil prices - Russia's main export commodity. The breathing room has given the government an opportunity to launch long-awaited tax and structural reforms.
Putin, who won election March 26, has pledged to continue market reforms, but neither he nor Kasyanov have outlined specific economic proposals.
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