The lower house of Russia�s parliament has voted overwhelmingly to approve Mikhail Mishustin as the new prime minister, less than a day after President Vladimir Putin announced constitutional reforms.

All lawmakers at the Federal Assembly on Thursday voted in favor of Putin�s pick, an economist and politician, but Communist lawmakers abstained.

"People should already now be feeling real changes for the better," Mishustin, 53, said in a speech delivered at the parliament prior to the vote, calling on the State Duma to work with him to urgently enact Putin�s program.

Mishustin, who had been the head of the Federal Tax Service since 2010, further said that his priority would be to "increase citizens� real incomes", stressing that the government must also work to "restore trust" with the business community and drive innovation.

He also assured legislators that Russia could afford salary hikes and social payouts announced by the president, estimating they will cost around four trillion rubles ($65 billion) over the next four years.

Following the parliament�s approval, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree appointing Mishustin as prime minister on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Russia�s ruling United Russia Party had unanimously approved Mishustin�s candidacy for the post of prime minister.

Anastasia Kashevarov, an aide to Russia�s parliament speaker, announced the decision on social media ahead of the formal parliamentary vote.

President Putin picked Mishustin as premier after Dmitry Medvedev and his cabinet stepped down on Wednesday to give room to the president to carry out the reforms.

The Russian president has offered Medvedev, who had been prime minister since 2012, to oversee defense and security affairs in a new Security Council role.

Mishustin was born in Moscow in 1966. He became a civil servant in 1998, joining the Russian State Tax Service, which then was transformed to the Taxes and Levies Ministry.

In 2008, Mishustin moved to business, becoming the head of the United Financial Group (UFG), one of the Russia�s largest investment banks.

Since 2010, he has again been head of Russia�s federal tax authority.

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/12826

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