MOSCOW (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin's sudden switch of prime minister this week has wrong-footed potential rivals and left the Kremlin chief in a strong position ahead of presidential elections in March, Russian newspapers reported Thursday.
"Only Putin knows!" was the headline on the popular Moskovsky Komsomolets daily after Wednesday's surprise sacking of prime minister Mikhail Fradkov and naming of little-known finance official Viktor Zubkov in his place.
"Putin acted in his usual style, unexpectedly pulling a rabbit out of a hat," state-run Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily wrote, noting that Zubkov's candidacy, not the government reshuffle itself, was the real surprise.
Few policy changes are expected, although several newspapers see German Gref, the economic development and trade minister, as likely to get the chop in a limited reshuffle.
The real point of the shake-up, newspapers said, was to keep everyone guessing ahead of the election in March, when Putin intends to stand down and help a handpicked successor to victory.
There had been longstanding speculation that Putin would switch Fradkov for one of his powerful joint first deputy premiers, Dmitry Medvedev and Sergei Ivanov, in prelude to the chosen candidate becoming president.
But that "theory had to be hastily changed," Rossiiskaya Gazeta wrote. "The president destroyed the analysts' myth that whoever heads the government after Fradkov will be president."
"Putin managed to keep the suspense over who will be his successor, and thus he stays in control over the political situation," Gazeta daily wrote.
"It may be that the Kremlin factions pushed Putin too far, suggesting either Ivanov or Medvedev, so he decided to name someone tried and true," Gazeta said, noting that in the upcoming transition period "absolute loyalty is more important than ever."
"The president pulled off an elegant combination: he changed the government, as was expected, but did not create a rival to himself," Vedomosti daily noted.
"Zubkov will be premier for only so long as is necessary to assure the preservation of current policy line. If Ivanov was named prime minister..., Putin de facto would have to leave post earlier, as the elite would adapt to the new master," Izvestia concurred. "There will be no successors, the fight is on."
Weeks of rumors about a pre-election reshuffle meant that Russia's financial markets avoided panicking, media noted.
"Our sources noted that the market was long ready for the change in government, though Putin's choice was unexpected. But that alone will hardly change the investors' mood insofar as Russian markets are concerned," the Vremya Novostei daily said.
"Fradkov's role was nominal, and his departure will not bring any shake-up in the economy, so the market took it easy," Vedomosti echoed.
On possible changes in the new government, Novye Izvestia predicted that Gref would go into business and that the health minister, Mikhail Zurabov, would also lose his job.
The tabloid Tvoi Dyen said the victims would also include Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko, who would be made head of the state oil pipeline company Transneft.
However, other newspapers said there would be no significant changes until nearer the presidential election, while Gazeta quoted a government source denying that Gref, a well-known figure in international economics circles, was on the way out.
Nearly every newspaper noted that the appointment was made days ahead of Zubkov's 66th birthday on Saturday.
"Happy birthday," Vremya Novostei's front page winked in English.
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