Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week after dismissing the government that its three-level system established in 2004, consisting of ministries, regulating agencies, and bodies engaged in state services, had proved ineffective.
Putin dismissed the government and nominated former financial watchdog chief Viktor Zubkov, 65, for the post of premier on September 12, three months before parliamentary elections and six months before presidential polls. The new premier was voted in by lawmakers September 14.
Addressing participants in the Valdai Discussion Club at his residence in Sochi, south Russia last Friday, the president said: "Over the last three or so years, it has become clear that [the three-tier government structure] is an ineffective model for our country's realities."
