By RIA Novosti
Moscow : President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Friday confirming Viktor Zubkov as Russia’s new prime minister after the lower house of parliament overwhelmingly approved his candidature, the Kremlin press office said.
Zubkov, 65, chief fiscal monitor for the last six years, was nominated for the job Wednesday after Putin dismissed Prime Minister Mikhail Fradov’s cabinet, three months before parliamentary elections.
Soon after his nomination, Zubkov announced his intention to run for the presidency in March 2008, when Putin’s term is set to expire.
Speaking at Black Sea resort of Sochi Friday, Putin confirmed that the new premier could run for the presidency, but said there were at least four other strong candidates, and that the election would not be a foregone conclusion.
The president’s nomination of relatively unknown Zubkov came as a surprise, following widely circulated rumours that Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, Putin’s close ally, would assume the post.
In his brief speech to lawmakers before voting in the legislature, Zubkov pledged his commitment to policies pursued by President Putin.
Zubkov pledged changes to the government, above all to the Health and Social Development Ministry, which has recently been plagued by a series of corruption scandals.
Zubkov said a body to fight corruption, similar to the Federal Financial Monitoring Service he co-founded and headed, would also be set up.
The new premier also urged for more efficient use of natural resources, which make up Russia’s main exports, to ensure higher revenues.
All parliamentary factions except the Communists and the nationalist Homeland bloc voiced their complete support for the candidate after four-hour consultations Thursday.
The outspoken Vladimir Zhirinovsky hailed Zubkov as an efficient professional, and reiterated that his team “will be Russia’s best government in 30 years.”
The Communists praised the professional record of the new premier, who began his career as a metal worker and led a state farm in Soviet times, but criticized his unquestioning loyalty to the Kremlin.
Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov earlier said the rapid dismissal of the government and the new nomination looked more like “a commando operation than a democratic appointment.”