Russian State Duma Set to Approve Kasyanov As New PMThe Russian State Duma is expected to give Mikhail Kasyanov an easy ride Wednesday when the lower house of parliament debates confirmation of him as the country's new prime minister.Kasyanov, 42, appeared optimistic Tuesday after a series of meetings with Duma faction leaders. "There was a friendly attitude everywhere. The general spirit of all the questions and discussions gives me optimism," he said. President Vladimir Putin, who may attend Wednesday's Duma plenary session, also met with faction leaders in the run-up to the vote. Observers said that up to 300 deputies would vote for Kasyanov, far exceeding the simple majority required in the 448-seat chamber. Most of the factions have expressed support for Kasyanov's candidacy. The Communist opposition decided to let member deputies to vote freely, a signal that it had no real objections to the nomination. Yabloko, the traditional opponent of the ruling establishment, also made a similar decision, although it voiced dissatisfaction following the meeting with the nominee. Kasyanov, who was finance minister in the previous cabinet, is a familiar face in the West as the government's top debt negotiator. The Russian media said that Kasyanov would make "an obedient and industrious prime minister without any evident political ambitions." As first deputy prime minister since January, he has been in charge of day-to-day running of the government and Putin is likely to keep him in that role - primarily as a manager rather than a policy-maker. Kasyanov has spent 10 years in the economics and finance ministries, but has little experience in other spheres of politics. Born on December 8, 1957, Kasyanov is a fluent English-speaker. He graduated from Moscow's Automobile and Road Institute, and later worked at Gosplan, the Soviet Union's powerful economic planning agency. |
| Please visit People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |