After Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced the resignation of his government, President Vladimir Putin proposed a candidate who may soon become the new head of Russia’s government – Mikhail Mishustin.
With Mishustin agreeing to Putin’s proposal, his candidacy is expected to be discussed by the Russian parliament on 16 January.
Born in 1966 in Moscow, Mishustin began his government career in 1998 with Russia’s Federal Tax Service (known back then as the State Taxes Service), the same agency he currently leads.
Mishustin was then appointed the head of the Federal Real Estate Land Registry Agency (Rosnedvizhimost) in 2004 and then in 2006, he assumed the office of the head of the Federal Agency for Special Economic Zones Management.
In 2008, Mishustin resigned from government service and spent the next two years working as president of UFG Asset Management in asset management and private equity.
He subsequently returned to public service in 2010 as the head of the Federal Tax Service.
Under his leadership, the agency has sought to help make its interactions with taxpayers more comfortable for the latter, with Mishustin vowing to continue improving digital services and to fight corruption.
Having completed his Ph.D. in Economics in 1992, Mishustin has since penned three papers on the subject of tax management.
The resignation of the Russian government was announced on 15 January, following President Vladimir Putin’s speech to the Federal Assembly.
During his address, Putin proposed a number of "fundamental changes" to Russia's Constitution, such as increasing parliament’s powers to appoint members of the government, including the prime minister, who, until now, was appointed directly by the president.