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Putin's Kremlin allies moved to cabinet (Roundup)
By DPA
May 12, 2008, 13:25 GMT

Moscow - Vladimir Putin in his new capacity as Russian prime minster announced a cabinet Monday to include key figures from his former Kremlin administration, news agencies reported.

President Dmitry Medvedev, who succeeded Putin last Thursday, immediately confirmed Putin's choices, saying the two had agreed the government structure together over the past two months.

The new line-up contained no radical surprises for Russia watchers. Russia's hawkish Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Anatoly Serdukov retained their posts along with Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who has promoted popular liberal market policies.

'There has definitely been a reshuffling ... but everyone is a Putin appointee,' Masha Lipman, an analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Centre, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

'The whole thing was a mere formality. Putin was not questioned about what was meant to be the most important decision after the transition,' she added.

Putin's former prime minster Victor Zubkov and presidential aide Igor Shubalov were appointed co-first deputy prime ministers.

As was expected several other powerful faces moved to the government along with Shubalov, who previously advised Putin on economic policy.

Former Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Sobyanin and deputy chief of staff Igor Sechin will take on analogue roles for their boss as deputy prime ministers.

Putin is known to surround himself with those he has reason to personally trust and much of the new cabinet hails from his native St Petersburg or like Putin have links to the secret services.

Putin's ex-KGB colleague Sergei Ivanov, once a favourite for Medvedev's post, will also remain as one of Putin's deputy prime ministers.

In one of the few major changes the head of the Federal Security Service Nikolai Patrushev was replaced by his deputy. Patrushev moves to be secretary of Russia's Security Council in what may be the outcome of months of rumoured in-fighting among Russia's security services.

'The details are important to the political elite in terms of who gets what maybe, but the interplay is hidden from the public eye. It does not tell us much,' Lipman said.

Foreign investors were likely to be contented as Putin left untouched Russia's current bloc of free-market economic ministers, underscoring policy plans to reform the financial markets and tax system.

Putin's speech to the parliament Thursday outlined curbing inflation and cutting taxes as top priorities in a long-term plan to grow Russia into an economic superpower by 2020.

Putin also scrapped the telecoms, IT and communications ministry, split the industry and energy ministry and created new ministries of ecology, and of sport and tourism, ahead of Russia's hosting of the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Analysts were sure to be scrutinizing the list Monday for the latest clue as to how power will be divided between the powerful and popular Putin and his long-time protege Medvedev.

Under Russia's constitution, the president is responsible for naming the government and Putin's proposals Monday were meant to have only the weight of recommendations.

But Medvedev, who owes his rise solely to Putin, gave his immediate consent Monday. By contrast, he had yet to unveil who would figure in the new Kremlin administration.

'Medvedev's pool of personnel is tiny compared to what Putin can rely on,' Lipman stressed.

Recent Kremlin moves to tailor the premier's post to Putin's taste raised questions as to how the former president's undoubted political power would change what has traditionally been a weak and thankless job.

On Monday, Putin increased the number of deputy prime minsters from five to seven.

Russian newspapers saw the increase along with an earlier bill to redelegate the more mundane government duties as Putin's bid to sustain an overarching role concerned with setting strategy rather than being held accountable for its execution.

Putin, Medvedev's only candidate for the post of premier, was overwhelmingly confirmed by 392 to 56 parliamentary votes last Thursday.

Medvedev recommended Putin to delegates last Thursday by vowing his relationship with Putin would only grow stronger and the two would govern in 'tandem.'

Lipman of the Moscow Carnegie Centre, however, underlined that Medvedev was not set to address parliament with his policy plan until the autumn while Putin already began work on Monday.

'Putin has definitely preserved his role of setting the country's agenda,' she said.