President Vladimir Putin is constitutionally required to appoint new — or the same — government ministers after winning an unopposed election in March.
“A lot has been done under difficult conditions, and it seems to me that it would be right if we continue to work together…,” V. Putin told M. Mishustin earlier on Friday. “I think we’re on the right track.”
Russian lawmakers later voted to automatically approve his reappointment.
Mr. Mišustinas, who previously headed the country’s tax service, was appointed for the first time in 2020. He is considered a technocrat tasked with implementing policies dictated by the Kremlin.
“We will do everything we can to develop our economy, to justify the trust of our people, and I am confident that under your leadership we will fulfill all the tasks set,” said M. Mishustin to V. Putin, securing his support.
Nominations for other government ministers should also be submitted in the coming weeks.
For weeks, Russian political analysts have been talking about the possibility that Mr. Putin could shake up the ranks of the government amid the more than two-year war in Ukraine that has transformed the country’s economy.
In his quarter-century in power, Putin has typically relied on a coterie of loyalists and allies, while ensuring that no one person can gain enough power or popularity to be considered a potential rival or successor.
