Prime Ministers of Russia

Prime Ministers of Russia
Post	Prime Minister of Russia
Native name	Председатель Правительства Российской Федерации
Incumbent	Mikhail Mishustin
Incumbentsince	16 January 2020
Department	Government of the Russian Federation
Style	His Excellency
Status	Head of Government
Seat	Moscow
Appointer	President of the Russian Federation
Formation	6 November 1905
First	Sergei Witte
Salary	Official salary

Prime Ministers of Russia are the heads of the Government of the Russian Federation who coordinate executive administration, oversee federal ministries, and implement policies directed by the President of Russia. The office traces institutional antecedents to the Imperial Russia period, through the Russian Provisional Government, the Soviet Union, and into the contemporary Russian Federation. Holders have included leading figures from Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin to Vladimir Putin in his early political career and current officeholders.

Office and role

The office of Prime Minister operates within the framework of the Constitution of Russia and the statutory structure of the Government of the Russian Federation, acting as head of cabinet, coordinating federal ministries such as the Ministry of Finance (Russia), Ministry of Defence (Russia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), and supervising agencies like the Federal Security Service and the Federal Tax Service (Russia). The Prime Minister interacts with federal bodies including the Federation Council (Russia), the State Duma, the Constitutional Court of Russia, and regional executives from entities such as Moscow Oblast and the Republic of Tatarstan.

Historical development

The position originates in late Imperial Russia reforms culminating with the 1905 creation of a prime ministerial post under Nicholas II following the 1905 Russian Revolution and the issuance of the October Manifesto. Early occupants such as Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin shaped cabinet practice during the Russo-Japanese War aftermath and agrarian reform. The Russian Provisional Government (1917) saw leaders like Georgy Lvov and Alexander Kerensky before the October Revolution. Under the Soviet Union, executive leadership shifted to the Council of People's Commissars and later the Council of Ministers, with figures such as Vladimir Lenin, Alexei Rykov, and Nikolai Tikhonov in de facto head-of-government roles. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian Federation established the modern Prime Minister post, held by leaders including Boris Yeltsin-era appointees, Yegor Gaidar, Viktor Chernomyrdin, Sergei Kiriyenko, Mikhail Kasyanov, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Fradkov, Viktor Zubkov, Dmitry Medvedev, Sergei Stepashin, and Yevgeny Primakov.

List of prime ministers

Complete enumerations typically include early 20th-century incumbents such as Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin, Ivan Goremykin, and transitional leaders like Georgy Lvov and Alexander Kerensky; Soviet-era heads including Vladimir Lenin, Alexei Rykov, Nikolai Bulganin, Nikolai Tikhonov, Alexei Kosygin, and Nikita Khrushchev's contemporaries; and post-1991 Prime Ministers including Boris Yeltsin appointees Yegor Gaidar, Viktor Chernomyrdin, Sergei Kiriyenko, Viktor Chernomyrdin's successors, Mikhail Kasyanov, Mikhail Fradkov, Viktor Zubkov, Vladimir Putin (as Prime Minister 1999–2000), Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin (subsequent terms), and current officeholder Mikhail Mishustin.

Appointment and removal

The Prime Minister is nominated by the President of Russia and must be approved by the State Duma. If the Duma rejects a presidential nominee three times, the President may dissolve the Duma under provisions of the Constitution of Russia and appoint the Prime Minister by decree. Removal mechanisms include presidential dismissal, resignation tendered to the President, votes of no confidence in the State Duma, or changes following presidential transitions as occurred after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and during cabinet reshuffles under Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin.

Powers and responsibilities

Statutory responsibilities encompass directing the work of federal ministers, preparing and executing the federal budget alongside the Ministry of Finance (Russia), presenting draft federal laws to the State Duma, and supervising implementation of presidential decrees such as those issued by Vladimir Putin or successors. The Prime Minister signs regulatory acts, issues orders to federal agencies including the Federal Customs Service (Russia), and coordinates economic policy responses involving the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and state corporations like Rosneft, Gazprom, and Rostec.

Relationship with the president and government

The Prime Minister operates under the leadership of the President, who sets foreign policy and strategic directives executed by the cabinet; interactions involve leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, and earlier presidents like Boris Yeltsin. The presidency controls appointments to security services including the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, while the Prime Minister manages daily administration through deputies, vice-premiers, and ministers who may include figures from parties such as United Russia, Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and others.

Residence and insignia

Official working premises include the Russian White House (Moscow), the site of cabinet meetings and historical events like the 1993 constitutional crisis involving Boris Yeltsin and the Supreme Soviet of Russia. The Prime Minister uses insignia such as the official flag and the emblem of the Government of the Russian Federation; ceremonial venues include the Kremlin for state protocol alongside presidential insignia used by the President of Russia.

Category:Government of Russia