May 13, 2008, 16:47 GMT
Moscow - President Dmitry Medvedev appointed his new Kremlin administration Tuesday, promoting many of his predecessor Vladimir Putin's former close allies.
There were only two new names among Medvedev six presidential aides Tuesday. The two, Arkady Dvorkovich and Konstantin Chuichenko, are close colleagues and personal friends of Medvedev's underscoring the importance of personal ties among Russia's power elite.
Medvedev also appointed five presidential advisers Tuesday notably including former IT and Telecommunications Minister Leonid Reiman, who lost his job when Putin appointed his new Cabinet Monday.
The move came 24 hours after Putin shifted many of his most powerful presidential aides to work under him as prime minister, creating a new centre of power in the government.
Analysts Tuesday saw Putin's appointments as a sign that he had kept the upper hand in Moscow's new power configuration that ushers in an unprecedent split in Russia's leadership between the White House and the Kremlin.
Many had expected the Kremlin to announce its line-up in tandem with Putin, and the contrast of Medvedev standing alone next to Putin's smiling group new appointees only served to underline that he lacks his own power base.
Former deputy prime minister Sergei Naryshkin, a close ally of Putin's, was virtually the only senior to be named to the Kremlin Monday. Naryshkin will manage the Kremlin administration.
Nevertheless, some new faces joined the Kremlin Tuesday from Medvedev's small personal power-base.
New presidential aide Dvorkovich, previously head of the experts directorate within the presidential administration, is a firm Support of Medvedev's and has advised him during the campaign.
The other new aide Chuichenko is a former schoolmates of Medvedev and worked under him at state gas monopoly Gazprom.
The surprise was former telecoms minister Reiman, who was broadly seen as the looser Monday when Putin failed to reappoint him.
But the bulk of the Kremlin administration is made up of close Putin associates during his eight year presidency and before.
Medvedev kept on Putin's hawkish foreign policy adviser Sergei Prikhodko, his head of presidential administration Dzhakhan Pollyyeva and legal aide Larisa Brycheva.
Natalia Timakova, a former Kommersant reporter who has written a book on Putin, remained as head of the Kremlin press service. Timakova has a foot in both camps having worked with Medvedev since before he was considered a shoe-in to succeed Putin.
Other notable appointment include steel tycoon head of Evraz Holding Alexander Abramov, who makes his first foray into politics, and Russia's former Minister of Health and Social Development Mikhail Zurabov, who is seen as part of the liberal economic bloc.
Medvedev, who was inaugurated last week has promised let his personal relationship with Putin dictate his presidency and rule grow 'tandem' with Putin prime minister.
View blog reactions
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)
Advertising
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)