Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev has today resigned along with his government as president Vladimir Putin tightens his grip on power.
Medvedev said his resignation was necessary to allow Putin to make amendments to Russia’s constitution that observers said could allow him to rule for life.
The resignation came shortly after a speech in which Putin proposed changes that would move power away from the presidency, which he must resign in 2024 when his current term ends, while empowering parliament.
Political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin said it appears that Putin will turn the presidency into a ceremonial role before stepping into the newly-empowered prime ministerial position – which has no term limits.
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny called the reforms ‘fraudulent crap’ that would end with Putin being ‘sole leader for life’.
Dmitry Medvedev (centre) resigned as Russia’s Prime Minister on Wednesday, saying it was necessary while President Putin reforms the country’s constitution
Analysts believe that Putin wants to transform the presidency into a ceremonial role before stepping in as newly-empowered prime minister when his term ends in 2024 – a move that would allow him to rule for life
As Medvedev’s successor, Putin nominated the little-known head of Russia’s tax service, Mikhail Mishustin (pictured)
Putin said any constitutional changes would have to be put to the people in a referendum, the first that Russia will have held since 1993.
Medvedev served as president from 2008 until 2012 when Putin was forced to step down due to term limits.
When Putin returned as president in 2012, Medvedev was appointed prime minister, a position he had held ever since.
He will remain in power despite Wednesday’s resignation, as Putin appointed him to the newly-created position of deputy leader of the presidential security cabinet.
In Medvedev’s place, Putin nominated the little-known head of the Russian tax service Mikhail Mishusti.
Medvedev announced his resignation on state TV sitting next to Putin, his mentor.
Putin, who has been governing in tandem with Medvedev since 2008, thanked his former protege for his efforts but said the cabinet had ‘failed to fulfill all the objectives set for it’.
‘I want to thank you for everything that has been done, to express satisfaction with the results that have been achieved,’ Putin said.
‘Not everything worked out, but everything never works out.’
Putin has asked for the outgoing government to remain at work until a new government was appointed.
Medvedev said the government was resigning to ‘provide the president of our country with the possibility to take all the necessary measures’.
‘All further decisions will be taken by the president,’ he said.
Medvedev announced his resignation following a speech in which Putin announced he would be making changes to the constitution to empower parliament
Putin said Medvedev would take on a new job as deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, which Putin chairs.
The 67-year-old Putin is due to step down as president in 2024 and the Russian constitution prevents him from running for a third consecutive term.
The Russian political world is already abuzz with speculation about how Putin might stay in power, although he himself has said almost nothing on the subject.
At his annual address to lawmakers today, he announced plans for package of reforms which could allow him to carve out a new role as a powerful PM.
Under the reforms, Putin’s successor as president would be stripped of the power to choose the prime minister.
Russia’s parliament – the State Duma – would select a prime minister and the president would not have the power to reject them, Putin said.
The changes would also give parliament the power to choose senior cabinet members, further weakening a future president’s authority.
However, the president would still be able to fire the PM – although Putin’s high approval ratings might make that politically infeasible.
Other changes would see the role of regional governors enhanced and residency requirements tightened for presidential candidates.
‘Of course these are very serious changes to the political system,’ Putin said in a speech today as he promised a referendum on the plans.
‘It would increase the role and significance of the country’s parliament … of parliamentary parties, and the independence and responsibility of the prime minister.’
Putin has been in power as either president or prime minister since 1999, longer than any other Russian or Soviet leader since Josef Stalin.
A former KGB officer, first took power as acting president when Boris Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned on the last day of the millennium.
After his first two terms as president ended in 2008, Putin circumvented the term limit by shifting into the prime minister’s seat while Medvedev served as president.
Putin was widely seen as pulling the strings under Medvedev, although they clashed over intervention in Libya in 2011.
In 2012 Putin returned to the top job and appointed the loyal Medvedev as prime minister.
The switch of jobs was widely seen as a cynical ploy and sparked massive protests in 2011-12 in a major challenge to the Kremlin.
Re-elected to a six-year term in 2018, Putin has seen his approval ratings fall to some of their lowest levels, though still far above those of most Western leaders.
Medvedev will stay on in government in the newly-created post of deputy of the presidential security cabinet (Putin and Medvedev talk in Moscow on Wednesday)
Putin previously served as prime minister for four years while Medvedev was president (they are pictured together in Moscow in 2008)
Recent polls put Putin’s rating at 68-70 per cent, up a few points from a year ago but down from a high of more than 80 per cent at the time of his last election.
His loyalists in the United Russia party have also suffered dismal ratings and suffered badly in Moscow local elections last year.
Another option for Putin would be to merge Russia with Belarus – a process which has long been the subject of speculation – and become head of a new unified state.
Russia is Belarus’s closest ally and the two have formed a nominal ‘union’ with close trade and military cooperation.
Putin played down such speculation last year, saying there were no plans for a merger with Belarus.
Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko has been more blunt, saying last year that unification ‘was not on the agenda.’