Putin Disbands Russian Gov’t

Posted on Sep 12, 2007

President Vladimir Putin dissolved the Russian government in a move designed to clear out the upper levels of power before his expected exit from office in the spring. Among those ousted in Wednesday’s Kremlin shakeup was Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, who may be replaced by his first deputy prime minister, Sergei Ivanov.

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AP via My Way News:

Under the constitution, Putin has two weeks to propose a new head of government, which the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, then has a week to vote on. Russian news agencies said Fradkov would serve as acting prime minister until the vote.

Fradkov said he asked for the dissolution of the government because with elections approaching, Putin needed to have a free hand to make decisions, including those concerning appointments.

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