Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree appointing Mikhail Mishustin as prime minister, shortly after the former head of the tax service won the backing of parliament.
Mishustin received 383 votes of 424 cast by Russia's lower house of parliament, with no votes against and 41 abstentions — a victory that had been all but assured when he won the unanimous backing of his party, United Russia, which has a strong majority in the chamber.
Mishustin's elevation is part of a sweeping shake-up of the political system announced by Putin on Wednesday, which led to the resignation of Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister along with his government.
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