MOSCOW, December 23 (Itar-Tass) —— Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov was appointed head of the presidential administration on Thursday. His task is “to ensure the continuous functioning of the administration” before and after the elections. It is probable that Ivanov will retain the post after the presidential elections.
The problem of the appointment of the new head of the administration was settled quickly, Kommersant writes. Sergey Naryshkin, who had headed the presidential administration since 2008, resigned on December 20, and on December 22, two hours after delivering the address to the Federal Assembly, Medvedev signed a decree on the appointment of Ivanov to that post. According to the information of Kommersant sources, Ivanov’s candidature was suggested by Medvedev and was coordinated with Putin as a probable president. “Ivanov has much experience of apparatus work. He is a suitable person both for Medvedev and Putin,” the source told Kommersant.
Ivanov is one of the veterans of Putin’s team. Naturally, he has much experience of joint work with Medvedev. In the period between the parliamentary and presidential elections the leaders could not experiment with the appointment of little known people. They needed the person, whose advantages and defects are well known. It was equally important to appoint to the post an official, who did not make public his personal ambitions, or, at least, who knew how to conceal them. Kommersant reminds that in 2006-2007 Ivanov, together with Medvedev, was regarded as a possible successor to Putin, whose second presidential term was coming to a close. In mid-2007 Ivanov was considered to be the favorite in the undeclared presidential race. Eventually, however, Putin was succeeded by Medvedev, and Ivanov went to work in the government, going one step down.