| Prime Minister of the Russian Federation | |
|---|---|
| Председатель Правительства Российской Федерации (Russian) | |
.svg){kind=logo} Logo of the Government of Russia | |
 | |
 | |
| Executive branch of the Russian Government Council of Ministers of Russia | |
| Style |
|
| Type | Head of government |
| Abbreviation | PMOR, PMORF |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | |
| Seat | White House,Moscow |
| Nominator | President |
| Appointer | President (with the approval of the State Duma) |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Russia |
| Precursor | Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1923–1991) |
| Formation |
|
| First holder | Sergei Witte |
| Unofficial names | Prime Minister |
| Deputy | |
| Salary | US$105,000 annually[2] |
| Website | premier |
 |
|---|
Theprime minister of the Russian Federation,[3] also domestically stylized as thechairman of the government of the Russian Federation[a] and widely recognized as theprime minister,[b] is thehead of government ofRussia and the second highest ranking political office in Russia. Although the post dates back to 1905, its current form was established on 12 December 1993 following the introduction of a newconstitution.
Due to the central role of thepresident of Russia in the political system, the activities of the executive branch (including the prime minister) are significantly influenced by the head of state (for example, it is the president who appoints and dismisses the prime minister and other members of the government; the president may chair the meetings of the cabinet and give obligatory orders to the prime minister and other members of the government; the president may also revoke any act of the government). The use of the termprime minister is strictly informal and is never used in the constitution.
Mikhail Mishustin is the current prime minister. He was appointed on 16 January 2020 afterDmitry Medvedev and the rest of the governmentresigned the previous day.
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Until 1905, the head of government was theemperor. In the absence of the emperor, the ministers one by one, starting with the oldest in the rank, each acted as head of government for four sessions.
In 1810, the chairmanship was granted to the state chancellor,CountNikolay Rumyantsev, the former then chairman of theState Council. Since 1812, as chairman of the committee has evolved into an independent position, which until 1865 necessarily coincide with the presidency of the Council of State.
Traditionally, the chairmanship of the committee was last in the public service honorary position appointed by the dignitaries that have become too old to execution of the duties of the minister. A number of committee chairmen (especially dukeAlexander Chernyshyov, countAlexey F. Orlov, countDmitry Bludov) was characterized by contemporaries as "barely alive", "miserable". Count Modest Korf jokingly wrote about count Chernyshov: "Look, just live!" DukePavel Gagarin died in office at the age of 83 years.
The modern post of prime minister appeared in 1905. A decree of EmperorNicholas II on 19 October 1905 established theCouncil of Ministers of the Russian Empire, bringing together the Ministers in one Cabinet (previously each Minister had reported directly to the Emperor on the affairs of his department). The Chairman of the Council of Ministers officially became a fully-fledged head of government. Nicholas appointedGrafSergei Witte as his first "prime minister".[4]
From 1905 the prime minister received extensive powers, with the opportunity to pursue his own policies and reforms.Pyotr Stolypin (in office: 1906–1911) gained a reputation as one of the strongest prime ministers - during his premiership he made several major (though controversial) reforms.
Though theRussian Constitution of 1906 established theState Duma (a representative house of parliament), the Government was not responsible to it. Although Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin (at the beginning of his Premiership) each tried to form acoalition government of the largest political organizations, they did not succeed. The State Duma nevertheless tried to gain influence over the government. Conflict between the State Duma and the government became particularly evident during the first Premiership ofIvan Goremykin in 1906.[5]
The position of Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire lasted 12 years; during this time seven people took this post (one twice). The position lapsed after theFebruary Revolution of March 1917, following theabdication of Nicholas II from the throne on 15 March [O.S. 2 March] 1917 and the formation that same day of theProvisional Government.
During theRussian Provisional Government, the prime minister de facto headed the Russian state and was officially called the “Minister-Chairman of the Russian Provisional Government". This position was held by only two people,Georgy Lvov andAlexander Kerensky.
The position lasted about six months, and after theOctober Revolution, was replaced by Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of theRussian SFSR.
During the reign ofVladimir Lenin, the Chairman of theCouncil of People's Commissars was the de facto leader of theRSFSR (from 1922 to 1991).
In 1946, the post of head of government was renamed Chairman of theCouncil of Ministers. People who held those positions are sometimes referred to as the prime ministers. They may have also been referred to as premier of ministers, or simplypremier.
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Currently, the formal title of the prime minister is "Chairman of theGovernment of the Russian Federation".
In modern Russia, the prime minister is appointed by thepresident, with the consent of theState Duma. The prime minister is responsible to the president and regularly reports to him, however, he only reports to the State Duma once a year.
After the election ofBoris Yeltsin,President of Russia, the head of the government was Yeltsin himself. He headed the Russian SFSR Government (16 May 1992, the Government of the Russian Federation) for about six months. In fact, Yeltsin was the first Head of Government of Russia after thedissolution of the Soviet Union; however, he was not the prime minister. After Yeltsin,Yegor Gaidar became acting prime minister, but the Russian Supreme Soviet refused to approve him as prime minister. On 14 December 1992, the prime minister appointed wasViktor Chernomyrdin.
The Russian political system is similar to the modern French system. For the appointment of the prime minister the president needs a majority in the state Duma. If the party president does not have the majority and fails to form a coalition, the president may need to appoint a loyalist to the position of prime minister. For example, this occurred in 1998 when the state Duma (which had most of the opposition to the president of the party) twice refused to appoint Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, and Boris Yeltsin appointed Prime MinisterYevgeny Primakov, who supported the left opposition.
In the mid-1990s in Russia there was a term "technical prime minister". This term refers to the prime minister, who is not an independent political figure, is only the nominal head of government, and in fact the activities of the government are headed by the president.[6]
In general, the prime minister serves more of an administrative role, nominating members of the Cabinet and taking the lead in fully implementing domestic and foreign policy as formulated by the president. In accordance with the federal constitutional law "On the Government of the Russian Federation" the prime minister exercises the following duties:
The prime minister isex officio a member of:
Initially, the prime minister was appointed by theEmperor of Russia, without the consent of the candidate to theState Duma.
In Soviet times, the prime minister of theRussian SFSR was appointed by theSupreme Council after each election.[8][9]
Currently the prime minister is appointed by thepresident of Russia, subject to the consent of theState Duma (before 1993 theSupreme Soviet). Unlike most other "prime ministers", who are also elected members of the legislative body or parliament, the Chairman of the Government of Russia can be any Russian citizen, as long as they do not also hold citizenship of another country.
Under law, the president shall nominate a new Chairman of the Government within two weeks of the resignation of a previous government orinauguration ceremony of president. The State Duma is to discuss the matter within two weeks of the nomination and make a decision. The procedure of granting consent by the parliament is usually preceded by several days of comprehensive consultations and interviews of the candidate by the parliamentary factions. Should the State Duma decide to give the president its approval, the president may immediately sign the respective appointment decree. Should the State Duma refuse to give its approval, the president will have to nominate another (or the same) candidate within one week of the rejection of the previous candidate. However, in the event that the Duma rejects the president's appointment to prime minister three times, he may dissolve the Duma, call for new elections and appoint a candidate for prime minister without its consent.[10]
Should the State Duma reject candidates nominated by the president for three times consecutively, the president shall dissolve it and call a new election, while the prime minister shall be appointed by the president without participation of the Duma. The State Duma may not be dissolved on these grounds during the first year after parliamentary elections, the last six months of the incumbent president's term, as well as in time of emergency, or war and in the event that the State Duma has initiated the impeachment of the incumbent president.
| Candidate | Date | Total deputies | Yes | No | Abstaining | No vote | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Soviet confirmations | ||||||||
| Yegor Gaidar | 9 December 1992 | 1040 | 467 | 44.9% | 486 | 26 | 61 | Not approved |
| Viktor Chernomyrdin | 14 December 1992 | 1040 | 721 | 69.3% | 172 | 48 | 1 | Approved |
| State Duma confirmations | ||||||||
| Viktor Chernomyrdin | 10 August 1996 | 443 | 314 | 70.9% | 85 | 3 | 48 | Approved[11] |
| Sergey Kirienko | 10 April 1998 | 443 | 143 | 32.3% | 186 | 5 | 116 | Not approved[12] |
| 17 April 1998 | 443 | 115 | 25.9% | 271 | 11 | 153 | Not approved[13] | |
| 24 April 1998 | 443 | 251 | 56.7% | 25 | 39 | 135 | Approved[14] | |
| Viktor Chernomyrdin | 31 August 1998 | 443 | 94 | 21.2% | 253 | 0 | 98 | Not approved |
| 7 September 1998 | 443 | 138 | 31.2% | 273 | 1 | 32 | Not approved | |
| Yevgeny Primakov | 11 September 1998 | 443 | 317 | 71.6% | 63 | 15 | 49 | Approved |
| Sergei Stepashin | 19 May 1999 | 443 | 301 | 67.9% | 55 | 14 | 70 | Approved |
| Vladimir Putin | 16 August 1999 | 443 | 233 | 52.6% | 84 | 17 | 105 | Approved |
| Mikhail Kasyanov | 17 May 2000 | 441 | 325 | 72.7% | 55 | 15 | 52 | Approved |
| Mikhail Fradkov | 5 March 2004 | 445 | 352 | 79.1% | 58 | 24 | 13 | Approved |
| 12 May 2004 | 445 | 356 | 80% | 72 | 8 | 11 | Approved | |
| Viktor Zubkov | 14 September 2007 | 445 | 381 | 85.6% | 47 | 8 | 9 | Approved |
| Vladimir Putin | 8 May 2008 | 450 | 392 | 87.1% | 56 | 0 | 0 | Approved |
| Dmitry Medvedev | 8 May 2012 | 450 | 299 | 66.4% | 144 | 0 | 0 | Approved |
| 8 May 2018 | 446 | 374 | 83.9% | 56 | 0 | 14 | Approved[15] | |
| Mikhail Mishustin | 16 January 2020 | 449 | 383 | 85.1% | 0 | 41 | 25 | Approved[16] |
| 10 May 2024 | 449 | 375 | 83.3% | 0 | 57 | 18 | Approved[17] | |
The prime minister may be dismissed by the president at any time at the president's discretion. The prime minister may also tender his resignation to the president on his own initiative. The president may reject such resignation and oblige him to continue his work. The prime minister and the whole government are constitutionally obliged to resign after the inauguration of a newly elected president. At the same time, the president has the right to dismiss both the entire government together with the prime minister, and only prime minister, retaining the government.[18]
Under certain circumstances, the president may also theoretically be forced to dismiss the chairman and the whole government under the pressure of the State Duma. For that to happen, the State Duma has to pass a censure motion against the governmenttwice within three months. Normally, in this case the president has the right to choose whether to sack the government or to dissolve the Duma (and if the Duma passes the censure motion just once, the president may also choose "not to agree" with the decision of the Duma, which technically means that neither the cabinet nor the Duma are dismissed).
However, within one year after parliamentary elections the dissolution of the State Duma is impossible on these grounds. That is why in this case the president does not have any other option but to dismiss the government (even if he totally supports it).
Initially, the term of office of the prime minister was not formally established. The head of the government served in his post for as long as the Emperor thought necessary.
In Soviet times, the term of the prime minister was also unlimited. The ChairmanCouncil of Ministers of the Russian SFSR served in the position until he was dismissed by theGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
A term limit was introduced after the creation of the post of thepresident of Russia. Government became subordinate to the president, so the prime minister must resign along with the president, but may be appointed again. From 1991 to 1996, the maximum term of office of the prime minister was 5 years. After the newConstitution of Russia was created, the term of office of the president, and therefore the term of office of the prime minister, was shortened to 4 years. In 2012, after amendments to the Constitution the term of the president and prime minister was increased to 6 years.
The Federal constitutional law "On the Government of the Russian Federation" says "in the case oftemporary absence of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, his duties are performed by one of the deputy chairmen of the Government of the Russian Federation in accordance with a written distribution of responsibilities". It's automatically andPresident's Executive Order is not required in that moment. The Federal constitutional law "On the Government of the Russian Federation" does not limit the term of "temporary absence" of the prime minister and the term of work of the acting prime minister.[19]
There can be more than oneFirst Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, therefore written distribution of responsibilities is the most important document. The office of First Vice-Premier is not provisioned by Constitution and it is not separate office. The Chapter 6 of the Constitution of Russia says, that "The Government of the Russian Federation consists of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation,Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation and federal ministries".
The prime minister can leave his post at his own request or if it is impossible for him to exercise his powers. The Federal constitutional law "On the Government of the Russian Federation" says that the dismissal of the prime minister entails the resignation of the entire government. If the prime minister resigns, the president has the right to delegate his duties to one of his Vice-premiers. This situation cannot continue for more than two months – this period is reserved for the head of state to select a candidate for a new prime minister and submit it to The state Duma.[19]
Very often, the acting prime minister later proposed theState Duma as the new prime minister.
_(cropped).jpg)
In case of the president's death, resignation orimpeachment, the prime minister becomes atemporary president until new presidential elections which must take place within three months. The prime minister as acting president may not dissolve the State Duma, announce a referendum or propose amendments to the Constitution.
The Russian Constitution does not explicitly specify who should become acting president if the prime minister is not appointed or is unable to perform his or her duties. Some believe that in the case of incapacity of the president and prime minister, thechairman of the Federation Council should become acting head of state.[20][21][22][23] However, nowhere in the legislation is this fixed.
Approximately 99 people have been head of theRussian government since its establishment in 1726. The chairman of government was a member of theSupreme Privy Council, which was created on 8 (19) February 1726 by EmpressCatherine, and from 8 (20) September 1802 ministerial duties were allocated by theCommittee of Ministers, which was established on in accordance with the proclamation of EmperorAlexander II. Beginning withCountAleksandr Romanovich Vorontsov, the eldest of the officers wasde facto chairman of the committee. Eight years after the inauguration of the manifest, the firstde jure office holder was CountNikolay Rumyantsev. TheCouncil of Ministers was unofficially formed in October 1857, as a result of Emperor Alexander II's reforms; its first session began on 19 (31) December 1857. Before the actual formation of that body on 12 (24) November 1861, the Emperor himself was in charge. The Council of Ministers consisted of chairman of theState Council and the Committee of Ministers, as well as high-ranking officers appointed by the Emperor. The first session ended on 11 (23) December 1882, after the number of files to the Council greatly decreased.
The Committee of Ministers functioned simultaneously with the second session of the Council of Ministers for six more months; CountSergei Witte participated on both entities until the abolition of the committee on 23 April (5 May) 1906. Following that event, the duties of the committee were left to the Council of Ministers, until the formation of the Small Council in 1909, which also included deputy ministers. By the order of EmperorNicholas II, the second session of the Council of Ministers began on 19 October (1 November) 1905, following the formation of theState Duma. Shortly after theFebruary Revolution and the inception of theRussian Provisional Government on 2 (15) March 1917,Georgy Lvov from theConstitutional Democratic Party andAlexander Kerensky from theSocialist Revolutionary Party became joint Minister-Chairmen. The provisional Russian Republic was eventually replaced by theRussian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) and the governmental body by theCouncil of People's Commissars, which was chaired from 1917 to 1924 byVladimir Lenin. That body was renamedCouncil of Ministers following a decree of theSupreme Council on 23 March 1946.
After the fall of the Soviet Union,Boris Yeltsin, as thePresident of the Russian Federation, was automatically appointed as the Head of Government of theRussian Federation in the first two years of his mandate. The latter body took the previous name "Council of Ministers", the chairman of which becameViktor Chernomyrdin, replacingacting chairmanYegor Gaidar. According to the newconstitution ratified on 25 December 1993, those two entities were separated. Since then, the head of that office takes the formal title "Chairman of the Government" or colloquially "Prime Minister" (the only actual prime minister wasValentin Pavlov). Chernomyrdin resumed chairing the government, followed up by non-partisans and acting office holders. On 8 May 2008,Vladimir Putin took the office for a second term, now as a member ofUnited Russia. Current Prime MinisterMikhail Mishustin took the office on 16 January 2020.
The youngest head of government by his accession to office was CountKarl-Fridrikh Golshteyn-Gottorpsky, at age 26, and the oldest CountPyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy, at age 81.
The list below includes Prime Ministers since 1991.
| List of Heads of Government of Russia since 1991 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name (Lifespan) | Portrait | Political party | Term of office | State Duma | Government | ||
| Name | Party affiliation of ministers | |||||||
| 1 | Boris Yeltsin (1931–2007) | _(cropped).jpg) | Independent | 26 December 1991 | 15 June 1992 | 12th Supreme Soviet | Yeltsin-Gaidar | Independents[c] |
| — | Yegor Gaidar (1956–2009) | .jpg) | Independent[d] | 15 June 1992 | 14 December 1992 | |||
2 | Viktor Chernomyrdin (1938–2010) | | Independent | 14 December 1992 | 9 August 1996[e] | Chernomyrdin I | ||
| Independents | ||||||||
| 1993 (1st) | NDR •DVR •APR •PRES •DPR | |||||||
| Our Home – Russia[f] | 1995 (2nd) | |||||||
| 10 August 1996 | 23 March 1998 | Chernomyrdin II | NDR •DVR •PRES | |||||
| — | Sergey Kiriyenko (born 1962) | .jpg) | Independent[g] | 23 March 1998 | 24 April 1998 | |||
| 3 | 24 April 1998 | 23 August 1998 | Kiriyenko | NDR •DVR | ||||
| — | Viktor Chernomyrdin (1938–2010) | .jpg) | Our Home – Russia | 23 August 1998 | 11 September 1998 | |||
| 4 | Yevgeny Primakov (1929–2015) | .jpg) | Independent[h] | 11 September 1998 | 12 May 1999 | Primakov | OVR •NDR •CPRF | |
| — | Sergei Stepashin (born 1952) |  | Independent[i] | 12 May 1999 | 19 May 1999 | |||
| 5 | 19 May 1999 | 9 August 1999 | Stepashin | NDR •DVR •LDPR | ||||
| — | Vladimir Putin (born 1952) | .jpg) | Independent | 9 August 1999 | 19 August 1999 | |||
| 6 | 19 August 1999 | 7 May 2000 | Putin I | Unity •NDR •DVR | ||||
| Unity | 1999 (3rd) | |||||||
| — | Mikhail Kasyanov (born 1957) | _(cropped).jpg) | Independent[j] | 7 May 2000 | 17 May 2000 | |||
| 7 | 17 May 2000 | 24 February 2004 | Kasyanov | Unity •NDR •OVR •APR | ||||
| 2003 (4th) | United Russia •APR | |||||||
| — | Viktor Khristenko (born 1957) | .jpg) | Independent | 24 February 2004 | 5 March 2004 | |||
| 8 | Mikhail Fradkov (born 1950) | .jpeg) | Independent | 5 March 2004 | 7 May 2004 | Fradkov I | United Russia | |
| — | 7 May 2004 | 12 May 2004 | ||||||
| (8) | 12 May 2004 | 12 September 2007 | Fradkov II | |||||
| — | 12 September 2007 | 14 September 2007 | ||||||
| 9 | Viktor Zubkov (born 1941) | .jpg) | Independent[k] | 14 September 2007 | 7 May 2008 | Zubkov | ||
| — | 7 May 2008 | 8 May 2008 | 2007 (5th) | |||||
| (6) | Vladimir Putin (born 1952) | .jpeg) | United Russia | 8 May 2008 | 7 May 2012 | Putin II | ||
| — | Viktor Zubkov (born 1941) |  | Independent[k] | 7 May 2012 | 8 May 2012 | 2011 (6th) | ||
| 10 | Dmitry Medvedev (born 1965) | .jpg) | United Russia | 8 May 2012 | 7 May 2018 | Medvedev I | ||
| 2016 (7th) | ||||||||
| — | 7 May 2018 | 8 May 2018 | ||||||
| (10) | 8 May 2018 | 15 January 2020 | Medvedev II | |||||
| — | 15 January 2020 | 16 January 2020 | ||||||
| 11 | Mikhail Mishustin (born 1966) |  | Independent | 16 January 2020 | 30 April 2020[l] | Mishustin I | ||
| — | Andrey Belousov (born 1959) | _(cropped).jpg) | Independent | 30 April 2020[m] | 19 May 2020[m] | |||
| (11) | Mikhail Mishustin (born 1966) | _cropped.jpg) | Independent | 19 May 2020 | 7 May 2024 | |||
| 2021 (8th) | ||||||||
| 7 May 2024 | 10 May 2024 | |||||||
| 10 May 2024 | Incumbent | Mishustin II | United Russia •LDPR | |||||
