Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a proposed government reshuffle put forward by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Russian state news agencies reported on Monday, citing the Kremlin. The personnel changes follow September’s parliamentary election and come as the government faces economic pressures, including a rising budget deficit, higher taxes and relatively high interest rates.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mishustin had discussed social and economic issues with Putin before proposing changes to the government’s personnel. “Along with a discussion on social and economic matters the prime minister proposed a number of personnel changes within the government to the head of state. These were endorsed by Putin,” Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
The Kremlin has not publicly identified the ministers who will be replaced or those expected to take up new positions. It said the proposed appointments would be submitted to parliament for approval, but provided no further details about the reshuffle or its scope.
The changes follow the September parliamentary election, which renewed the membership of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament. The reshuffle therefore comes after a major electoral event and a change in the composition of the legislature, although the Kremlin has not specified how the election influenced Mishustin’s proposals.
The government is also seeking new sources of economic growth as it contends with a combination of fiscal and financial pressures. The budget deficit has been rising, taxes have increased and interest rates remain relatively high, according to the report. No specific economic measures linked to the personnel changes have been announced.
The proposed reshuffle places the prime minister at the centre of the government’s personnel changes, with Putin’s approval clearing the way for the next stage of the appointment process. The new ministers will require parliamentary approval before taking up their positions, the Kremlin said.
Neither the Kremlin’s announcement nor the reports by state news agencies provided further information about which ministries would be affected, when the new appointments would take effect or whether changes to the government’s economic policy would accompany the reshuffle.
