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Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaks during the Cabinet meeting in Moscow, 12 May 2008
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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has presented President Dmitri Medvedev with his proposed new cabinet list, bringing in some high-profile allies from his presidency and leaving other prominent ministries unchanged.
Mr. Putin retained several close allies, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He also kept Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin in their positions. He additionally added eight new ministries, including one for sport and tourism and one for ecology.
Russia's Itar-Tass news agency quotes President Medvedev as saying the new cabinet could be approved today. He said he has been working closely with Mr. Putin and others on the ministries for the past two months.
Mr. Medvedev and his mentor, Mr. Putin, have said they will rule Russia in a tandem arrangement. But many analysts say they believe that Mr. Putin continues to hold the real power.
Under the Putin lineup, the Ministry of Energy and Industry has been split in two. Sergei Shmatko is the new energy minister, while Viktor Khristenko has been tapped to head the Industry Ministry.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
VOA News
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