Prime Minister of Russia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Flag of Russia
Logo of the Government of Russia
Incumbent Mikhail Mishustin since 16 January 2020
Executive branch of the Russian Government Council of Ministers of Russia
Style	His Excellency (diplomatic) Mr. Chairman (informal)
Abbreviation	PMOR, PMORF
Member of	Government Security Council State Council
Reports to	President State Duma
Seat	White House, Moscow
Nominator	President
Appointer	President (with the approval of the State Duma)
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Russia
Precursor	Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1923–1991)
Formation	6 November 1905; 119 years ago (1905-11-06) (original) Template:Start date and age and age (current form)
First holder	Sergei Witte
Deputy	First Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister
Salary	US$105,000 annually

The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation is Russia's head of government. This person is the second most important political leader in Russia, after the President. In Russia, the official title is "Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation".

The job of Prime Minister started in 1905. But its current form was created on December 12, 1993, with Russia's new constitution.

The President of Russia has a very strong role in Russia's government. This means the President greatly influences the Prime Minister and other government members. For example, the President chooses and can remove the Prime Minister. The President can also lead government meetings and give orders.

Mikhail Mishustin is the current Prime Minister. He started his job on January 16, 2020. This happened after Dmitry Medvedev and his government resigned.

How did the Prime Minister's job start?

Early leaders in Imperial Russia

Before 1905, the Emperor was the head of government. If the Emperor was not there, ministers would take turns leading.

In 1810, the State Chancellor, Count Nikolay Rumyantsev, became the chairman. Over time, this role became a separate position.

The first Prime Ministers (1905–1917)

Count Sergei Witte, Russia's first Prime Minister

The modern job of Prime Minister began in 1905. Emperor Nicholas II created the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire. This group brought all the ministers together. Before this, each minister reported directly to the Emperor. The Chairman of this Council became the official head of government. Nicholas II chose Graf Sergei Witte as the first "prime minister."

From 1905, the Prime Minister gained a lot of power. They could create their own policies and reforms. Pyotr Stolypin (who served from 1906 to 1911) was known as a very strong Prime Minister. He made many big changes.

The Russian Constitution of 1906 created the State Duma, which was like a parliament. However, the government did not have to answer to the Duma. The Duma tried to get more power over the government. This caused conflicts, especially when Ivan Goremykin was Prime Minister in 1906.

The job of Chairman of the Council of Ministers lasted 12 years. Seven different people held this job. The position ended after the February Revolution in March 1917. This happened when Nicholas II gave up his throne. The Provisional Government was then formed.

Provisional Government leaders

Georgy Lvov, the first Minister-Chairman of the Russian Provisional Government

During the Russian Provisional Government, the Prime Minister was called the "Minister-Chairman." This person was the actual leader of Russia. Only two people held this job: Georgy Lvov and Alexander Kerensky.

This position lasted about six months. After the October Revolution, it was replaced by the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars.

Soviet era leaders

During the time of Vladimir Lenin, the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars was the main leader of the RSFSR. This was from 1922 to 1991.

In 1946, the head of government's title changed. It became Chairman of the Council of Ministers. People who held these jobs are often called prime ministers.

Modern Prime Ministers (Post-Soviet era)

Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russia's first Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation

Today, the Prime Minister's official title is "Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation".

In modern Russia, the President chooses the Prime Minister. The State Duma must agree to this choice. The Prime Minister reports to the President regularly. They report to the State Duma only once a year.

After Boris Yeltsin became President, he led the government himself for about six months. He was the first head of government after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Later, Yegor Gaidar became acting Prime Minister. But the Russian Supreme Soviet did not approve him. On December 14, 1992, Viktor Chernomyrdin became Prime Minister.

Russia's political system is like France's. To appoint a Prime Minister, the President needs most votes in the State Duma. If the President's party does not have enough votes, the President might need to choose someone the opposition supports. For example, in 1998, the State Duma refused to approve Viktor Chernomyrdin twice. So, Boris Yeltsin chose Yevgeny Primakov, who was supported by the opposition.

What does the Prime Minister do?

Prime Minister Vladimir Kokovtsov reading a government report in the State Duma. December 5, 1912

The Prime Minister mainly handles the government's daily work. They suggest people for the Cabinet. They also lead the work of carrying out policies set by the President.

Here are some of the Prime Minister's duties:

• They decide what the government will focus on.
• They suggest how the government's departments should be set up.
• They suggest who should be Vice Prime Ministers and federal ministers to the President.
• They represent the government in other countries and within Russia.
• They lead government meetings and have the final say there.
• They sign government decisions.
• They tell the State Duma each year what the government has done.
• They give jobs to other government members.
• They regularly update the President on the government's work.

The Prime Minister is also automatically a member of important groups. These include the Security Council and councils for other countries that work with Russia.

How is the Prime Minister chosen?

Dmitry Medvedev at his confirmation hearing on May 8, 2018

In the past, the Emperor chose the Prime Minister. The State Duma did not have to agree.

During Soviet times, the Supreme Council chose the Prime Minister.

Today, the President chooses the Prime Minister. The State Duma must agree. Unlike many other prime ministers, the Russian Prime Minister does not have to be an elected member of parliament. Any Russian citizen can be Prime Minister, as long as they don't have citizenship in another country.

The President must name a new Prime Minister within two weeks. This happens after a government resigns or a new President starts. The State Duma then has two weeks to discuss and decide. Before voting, the candidate usually talks with different groups in parliament. If the Duma agrees, the President can officially appoint the Prime Minister.

If the State Duma says no, the President must name another candidate within one week. If the Duma rejects the President's choice three times, the President can dissolve the Duma. This means new elections are called. Then, the President can appoint a Prime Minister without the Duma's approval.

However, the State Duma cannot be dissolved in certain situations. These include the first year after elections, the last six months of the President's term, or during emergencies or war.

Voting results for Prime Ministers

How can a Prime Minister leave office?

The President can dismiss the Prime Minister at any time. The Prime Minister can also choose to resign. But the President can ask them to stay.

The Prime Minister and the whole government must resign when a new President starts. The President can dismiss the entire government or just the Prime Minister.

The State Duma can also try to force the Prime Minister and government to resign. This happens if the Duma votes against the government twice within three months. If this happens, the President can either dismiss the government or dissolve the Duma and call new elections.

However, the Duma cannot be dissolved this way during its first year. So, in that case, the President would have to dismiss the government.

How long does a Prime Minister serve?

In the past, there was no set time limit for the Prime Minister's job. They served as long as the Emperor or Communist Party leader wanted.

After the President's job was created, the government became answerable to the President. So, the Prime Minister must resign when the President's term ends. But they can be appointed again.

From 1991 to 1996, a Prime Minister could serve up to 5 years. After the new Constitution was made, the term for both the President and Prime Minister became 4 years. In 2012, this was changed to 6 years.

What about an acting Prime Minister?

When the Prime Minister is temporarily away

If the Prime Minister is away for a short time, one of the Deputy Prime Ministers takes over. This is decided beforehand and does not need a special order from the President. There is no time limit for how long someone can be an acting Prime Minister in this situation.

When the whole government resigns

If the Prime Minister resigns, the whole government also resigns. The President can then ask one of the Deputy Prime Ministers to be acting Prime Minister. This temporary role can last up to two months. This time allows the President to choose a new Prime Minister and get approval from the State Duma.

Often, the acting Prime Minister is later suggested to the State Duma to become the new Prime Minister.

What if the President cannot serve?

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin became acting President after Boris Yeltsin resigned.

If the President dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the Prime Minister becomes a temporary President. New presidential elections must happen within three months. As acting President, the Prime Minister cannot dissolve the State Duma or change the Constitution.

The Russian Constitution does not clearly say who becomes acting President if both the President and Prime Minister cannot serve. Some people think the chairman of the Federation Council should take over. But this is not written in law.

List of Prime Ministers since 1991

About 99 people have led the Russian government since 1726. The role of government leader has changed names many times.

The list below shows the Prime Ministers of Russia since 1991, after the Soviet Union ended.

List of Heads of Government of Russia since 1991
No.	Name (Lifespan)	Portrait	Political party	Term of office		State Duma	Government
							Name	Party affiliation of ministers
1	Boris Yeltsin (1931–2007)		Independent	26 December 1991	15 June 1992	12th Supreme Soviet	Yeltsin-Gaidar	Independents
—	Yegor Gaidar (1956–2009)		Independent	15 June 1992	14 December 1992
2	Viktor Chernomyrdin (1938–2010)		Independent	14 December 1992	9 August 1996		Chernomyrdin I
								Independents
						1993 (1st)		NDR • DVR • APR • PRES • DPR
			Our Home – Russia			1995 (2nd)
				10 August 1996	23 March 1998		Chernomyrdin II	NDR • DVR • PRES
—	Sergey Kiriyenko (born 1962)		Independent	23 March 1998	24 April 1998
3				24 April 1998	23 August 1998		Kiriyenko	NDR • DVR
—	Viktor Chernomyrdin (1938–2010)		Our Home – Russia	23 August 1998	11 September 1998
4	Yevgeny Primakov (1929–2015)		Independent	11 September 1998	12 May 1999		Primakov	OVR • NDR • CPRF
—	Sergei Stepashin (born 1952)		Independent	12 May 1999	19 May 1999
5				19 May 1999	9 August 1999		Stepashin	NDR • DVR • LDPR
—	Vladimir Putin (born 1952)		Independent	9 August 1999	19 August 1999
6				19 August 1999	7 May 2000		Putin I	Unity • NDR • DVR
						Unity			1999 (3rd)
—	Mikhail Kasyanov (born 1957)		Independent	7 May 2000	17 May 2000
7				17 May 2000	24 February 2004	Kasyanov	Unity • NDR • OVR • APR
							2003 (4th)	United Russia • APR
—	Viktor Khristenko (born 1957)		Independent	24 February 2004	5 March 2004
8	Mikhail Fradkov (born 1950)		Independent	5 March 2004	7 May 2004	Fradkov I		United Russia
—				7 May 2004	12 May 2004
(8)				12 May 2004	12 September 2007	Fradkov II
—				12 September 2007	14 September 2007
9	Viktor Zubkov (born 1941)		Independent	14 September 2007	7 May 2008	Zubkov
—				7 May 2008	8 May 2008		2007 (5th)
(6)	Vladimir Putin (born 1952)		United Russia	8 May 2008	7 May 2012	Putin II
—	Viktor Zubkov (born 1941)		Independent	7 May 2012	8 May 2012		2011 (6th)
10	Dmitry Medvedev (born 1965)		United Russia	8 May 2012	7 May 2018	Medvedev I
							2016 (7th)
—				7 May 2018	8 May 2018
(10)				8 May 2018	15 January 2020	Medvedev II
—				15 January 2020	16 January 2020
11	Mikhail Mishustin (born 1966)		Independent	16 January 2020	30 April 2020	Mishustin I
—	Andrey Belousov (born 1959)		Independent	30 April 2020	19 May 2020
(11)	Mikhail Mishustin (born 1966)		Independent	19 May 2020	7 May 2024
							2021 (8th)
				7 May 2024	10 May 2024
				10 May 2024	Incumbent	Mishustin II		United Russia • LDPR

See also

In Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno de Rusia para niños