MIKHAIL KASYANOV

'Mikhail Mikhailovitch Kasyanov' (Михаи́л Миха́йлович Касья́нов) (born 8 December 1957) was the Prime Minister of Russia from January 2000 to February 2004.
The arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky highlighted the split within the Kremlin between ''the family'' and the forces allied with the security forces and military called ''siloviki.''
In 2006 Kasyanov stated his desire to run for President of Russia in 2008.
Leader of People's Democratic Union (Russia), member of opposition coalition "The Other Russia".

Contents

Political career

Investigation

Timeline

References

External links

Political career

The last member of the Russian government closely associated with Yeltsin, Kasyanov was dismissed, along with the entire Russian cabinet, by President Vladimir Putin on 24 February 2004.
On the first anniversary of his dismissal (24 February 2005) Kasyanov gave a press-conference where he said that he might run for president in the 2008 elections. His bid has been very tentatively supported by billionaires Leonid Nevzlin [1] and Boris Berezovsky [2] (both in exile after corruption indictments against them in Russia) and former chess champion Garry Kasparov. On March 32007, Kasparov and Kasyanov spoke to thousands of supporters against Putin's government at Saint Petersburg Dissenters' March. [3]
At the presentation in International Institute for Strategic Studies 26 June 2006, Kasyanov criticized Putin's administration. He said:
"Separation of powers has been effectively demolished and replaced by the so-called ‘Vertical of Power’ which is based on the false idea that all the meaningful social and political processes must be kept under control by the state. The Government and the Parliament cannot function any longer without daily instructions. The judiciary is increasingly servile. Independent TV does not exist any more at the federal level and is being quickly uprooted in the regions. Moreover, the state-owned companies and the state itself increase their grip over the electronic and printed media. Responsibility of the regional level of power is totally destroyed by the abolishment direct elections of the governors." ^[1]

Investigation

On July 11th, 2005, the Russian Office of Public Prosecutor announced that it is investigating a privatization of two houses that were formerly owned by the government. According to the allegations first made by the journalist and State Duma member Aleksandr Hinshtein [4], two luxury government houses have been put up for sale in 2003 by Kasyanov's decree. On March 16, 2007 a court judgement has been made affirming that he will have to return the house and will also have to pay the government 108,135,000 rubles in damages for using the property illegally (approx. USD 4,150,000 or €3,130,000). Kasyanov is planning to appeal. [5]

Timeline

★ 1981-90: Engineer; Leading Economist; Senior Specialist; Head of Section, Department of Foreign Economic Relations of the State Planning Committee of the RSFSR.

★ 1990: appointed Head of Section, Sub-department of Foreign Economic Relations of the State Planning Committee of the RSFSR.

★ 1991: Deputy Head, Sub-department, then Head, Sub-department of Foreign Economic Relations of the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation.

★ 1992-93: Head, Consolidation Department of the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation.

★ 1993-95: Head, Department of Foreign Credits and External Debt of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation and Member of the Board of the Ministry of Finance.

★ 1995: appointed Deputy Minister of Finance.

★ 1999: appointed First Deputy Minister of Finance.

★ May 1999: appointed Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation.

★ January 2000: appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

★ May 2000: Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

★ February 2004: Sacked by President Putin along with the entire cabinet.

References

1. Address on "Russia's G8 Presidency: Challenges and Opportunites". 26 June 2006

External links

★ "The Empire of Freedom", op-ed by Mikhail Kasyanov in ''Kommersant'', August 29, 2006.