Later on Wednesday, Putin ordered the establishment of a special working group on the preparation of a proposal for amendments to primary Russian legislation.
"To create a working group to prepare proposals for amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation. To approve the attached list of members of the working group on the preparation of proposals on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation", according to the directive which has been enacted by the Russian president.
The Russian president said earlier that these changes will increase the role and significance of the country's parliament and parliamentary parties, as well as the independence and responsibility of the prime minister and all cabinet members. Putin stressed that, despite significant changes in the situation in the country over the past 25 years, there was no need to adopt a new constitution.
Putin offered to transfer the power to appoint a prime minister, governors and other top officials, from the president to the parliament, while at the same time limiting the president’s power to reject parliamentary appointees.
Putin also proposed prohibiting top Russian political figures from having foreign citizenship or residence permits in foreign nations, as well as barring any individual from running for president unless they have resided in Russia for over 25 years and have never held any dual or foreign citizenship.
Putin deemed the changes important enough to refer to Russian voters for approval of the amendments.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev informed President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day that the entire government would resign. The Kremlin’s press service announced later that Putin had submitted the candidacy of the head of Russia's Federal Tax Service, Mikhail Mishustin, as the new prime minister for consideration by the State Duma (lower chamber of the Russian parliament).
