MOSCOW. Sept 12 (Interfax) - The resignation of the Russian government marks the beginning of the work to implement "Putin's plan of transfer of power," co-chairman of the Business Russia public organization and editor-in-chief of the Expert magazine Valery Fadeyev said.

"This resignation means that the presidential transfer of power scheme, encompassing a new parliament, a new government and a new president, is in action," Fadeyev told Interfax on Wednesday.

Concerning who might be nominated for the position of prime minister, he said, "Putin is smarter than we are. He has plans and we don't know them. It could be Sergei Borisovich Ivanov, but it could equally as well be Dmitry Anatolyevich (Medvedev)," he said.

Sergei Markov, director of the Political Studies Institute, has a similar opinion.

"It is a stage in the transfer of power from Vladimir Putin to a member of his team. The policies and the team will remain the same on the whole," Markov told Interfax.

"Next to this, a nomination for prime minister will be proposed. The most likely nomination is Sergei Ivanov (first deputy prime minister) who will then become a presidential candidate," the analyst said.

"Although in principle, another figure could emerge," he said.

"Most of the ministers will stay, but some will be replaced," he said.

The resignation of the government means that the candidacy for the next president has been defined, head of the Current Politics Center Konstantin Simonov told Interfax on Wednesday.

"The president has finally decided on who this person will be. The new prime minister will be the person who will be nominated for the role of the president's successor," he said.

Simonov said this is reminiscent of the situation when Vladimir Putin held the post of prime minister before being elected president.

"Some speculated that Sergei Ivanov would be appointed prime minister soon. He remains the front-runner, but decisions to follow may be very unexpected. It is impossible to predict anything to the end," he said.

Simonov also said that after the decision has been made on the Cabinet's resignation "the political situation in Russia will become a little clearer," he said The intrigue also is, what the "interim" pre-election government will be like and who will fill the post of prime minister after the presidential elections, he said.