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With Prime Minister Vladimir Putin looking more and more likely to win in the first round of voting at next week's presidential elections, all attention is now turning to the aftermath of Sunday's polls ­ and who the newly elected president will chose to help him run the country.

Putin announced in December following the first mass opposition protests that he would "significantly renew" the government staff if he wins the election, but has given little indication since of what the reshuffle would look like.

"Those officials who worked properly should continue their work at a good level and apply their knowledge and experience," he said in a rare mention of the new cabinet in early February.

However, a survey being published this week by a consortium of Russian media groups showing how effective the current ministers have been in their roles sheds some light on who might take the ax when a new government is formed in May.

The list compiled by Ekho Moskvy, RIA Novosti, Moskovskiye Novosti and Interfax rates the 25 ministers who have served for a significant period of time over the past four-year presidential term. It rates them in terms of work efficiency, influence, popularity and how often they are quoted in the press.

So far only the first three categories have been released. The final category will be published Thursday along with a rating that sums up all four parts.

Interestingly, the first place has been taken by a different minister in each category, with Energy Minister Igor Sechin snapping up most influential, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu taking the popularity vote, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov nominated most efficient.

Also significant is the fact that second place in all three categories was taken by former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who left the government after a spat with President Dmitry Medvedev in September.

Speculation has abounded in recent months about whether Kudrin, a close ally of Putin, might return to the cabinet in the capacity of prime minister after the elections, despite his own insistence that he will not.

Analysts say, however, that when it comes to the composition of the new cabinet, much more depends on inter-relationships between different figures than on their work track records and popularity.

Putin has announced that he will choose Medvedev as his prime minister if he is re-elected, and if he holds true to his word, this decision will have a big influence on who is cut from the cabinet, regardless of how they have performed in the past four years.

"If Medvedev heads the cabinet, then Kudrin certainly won't be in it because Kudrin has said that he will not work with Medvedev," said Vyacheslav Nikonov, political analyst at the Politika Foundation, a Kremlin-friendly think tank. "And it is even less likely that Medvedev won't head the cabinet because Putin has said that Medvedev will be prime minister and he is the kind of person who keeps to his word."

Keywords: Russia, Government, Politics - Russia News - Russia

 

With Prime Minister Vladimir Putin looking more and more likely to win in the first round of voting at next week's presidential elections, all attention is now turning to the aftermath of Sunday's polls ­ and who the newly elected president will chose to help him run the country.

Putin announced in December following the first mass opposition protests that he would "significantly renew" the government staff if he wins the election, but has given little indication since of what the reshuffle would look like.

"Those officials who worked properly should continue their work at a good level and apply their knowledge and experience," he said in a rare mention of the new cabinet in early February.

However, a survey being published this week by a consortium of Russian media groups showing how effective the current ministers have been in their roles sheds some light on who might take the ax when a new government is formed in May.

The list compiled by Ekho Moskvy, RIA Novosti, Moskovskiye Novosti and Interfax rates the 25 ministers who have served for a significant period of time over the past four-year presidential term. It rates them in terms of work efficiency, influence, popularity and how often they are quoted in the press.

So far only the first three categories have been released. The final category will be published Thursday along with a rating that sums up all four parts.

Interestingly, the first place has been taken by a different minister in each category, with Energy Minister Igor Sechin snapping up most influential, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu taking the popularity vote, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov nominated most efficient.

Also significant is the fact that second place in all three categories was taken by former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who left the government after a spat with President Dmitry Medvedev in September.

Speculation has abounded in recent months about whether Kudrin, a close ally of Putin, might return to the cabinet in the capacity of prime minister after the elections, despite his own insistence that he will not.

Analysts say, however, that when it comes to the composition of the new cabinet, much more depends on inter-relationships between different figures than on their work track records and popularity.

Putin has announced that he will choose Medvedev as his prime minister if he is re-elected, and if he holds true to his word, this decision will have a big influence on who is cut from the cabinet, regardless of how they have performed in the past four years.

"If Medvedev heads the cabinet, then Kudrin certainly won't be in it because Kudrin has said that he will not work with Medvedev," said Vyacheslav Nikonov, political analyst at the Politika Foundation, a Kremlin-friendly think tank. "And it is even less likely that Medvedev won't head the cabinet because Putin has said that Medvedev will be prime minister and he is the kind of person who keeps to his word."