Why Putin chose Kiriyenko: the former Prime Minister was replaced by Volodin in the administration of President – Moskovsky Komsomolets

who “you” with the President: what you need to know about the new “king of Russian public policy.”

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photo: Gennady Cherkasov

When I first heard the rumor about the possibility of the appointment of Sergei Kiriyenko as the place of the departed speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin – first Deputy head of the presidential administration, the news seemed like a bad joke.

the Failure of Kiriyenko as Prime Minister in 1998 was only secondarily economic: all objective preconditions to a default of our country had appeared before his appearance at the White house. First and foremost the failure of the Kiriyenko Cabinet was the failure of the political: because of its lightest weight hardware Sergei Kiriyenko was not perceived by anybody as a serious player.

the country has a power vacuum, which led to an unprecedented political crisis of August-September 1998. The crisis, which only ended when the Prime Minister threw a political heavyweight like Yevgeny Primakov.

But the more I thought about the possibility of the arrival of Sergei Kiriyenko in the Kremlin, the more logic I have seen in this personnel decision Putin. There are politicians who do not develop and grow. Kiriyenko as it may belong to them is not exactly one.

in 1998 the Russian political elite perceived the Sergei Kiriyenko as an upstart student-botany in the fifth grade, which is at the whim of the eccentric boss RONO was suddenly elevated to the rank of school principal. Today, Kiriyenko is seen as the flesh of the Russian establishment, as a man, to prove his right to “place under the sun.”

the Tragedy Kiriyenko sample in 1998 was a tragedy that became a tragedy for the whole country — was that it was too early landed in an extremely responsible position, to which it is due to the lack of experience was not ready. But today — or rather yesterday or even the day before – “the boy is ripe.” “The boy” is ready for political exploits. “Boy” turned into “husband,” ready for the responsibility.

As each of us remembers, in the last century, Sergei Kiriyenko, was not the most successful Prime Minister. But in this century it is nearly eleven years was a great leader of our nuclear industry. Corporation “Rosatom” – from the point of view of the average Russian citizen’s name does not sound as majestic as, say, the Corporation “Gazprom”. But, as “Gazprom”, “Rosatom” is a world – class Corporation, is a “state within a state”, a large object, move that from place can not everyone. Kiriyenko could.

of course, I do not pretend to the title of connoisseur state of Affairs in our nuclear industry. But, according to a variety of people, with Kiriyenko, “Rosatom” was one of the very few effectively controlled by Russian state corporations.

As I wrote, by nature, Sergey Kiriyenko, is a economic Manager, not a politician. But with the political instincts he has also at least all right.

In 1997, Kiriyenko got to work in the Federal government as a protégé of then-presidential pet of Boris Nemtsov. In the horizon of several months, the Germans found themselves in the role of Deputy Kiriyenko.

In Putin’s new political era, Sergei Kiriyenko addressed the role of the head close to the power of the Duma fraction of Union of right forces. In the horizon of several years, this fraction was passed in the dead of opposition to the Kremlin. But Kiriyenko “high opal” is not touched. In may 2000, at a time when there were no signs of the storm he’s up to the “off” – switched to “politically safe” work Plenipotentiary presidential representative in the Volga Federal district.

Despite his appearance “harmless intellectual”, Kiriyenko today is a very even tempered and ruthless fighter hardware. Sergei Kiriyenko typical of the pragmatic attitude of the people. When in 1998, I met with Sergei Kiriyenko, he already had formed his entourage. Today this environment near Kiriyenko had nothing left.

Sergei Kiriyenko is a kind of man-machine. Policies, which to anyone doesn’t trust and is prone to surround himself with people with duplicating functions.

Kirienko is a very good Manager, expert in hardware manners, a man with a delicate understanding of how the wheels of cumbersome bureaucracy. For example, a few “hardware pearls of wisdom” from Sergey Vladilenovich — pearls, which he at various times have shared with their friends.

the Secretary, no signature on the paper which the chief does not endorse any instrument — a figure more important and influential than the official Vice-chief of the with their spacious offices, posts and personal drivers. Any effective leader at a time can only deal with ten important questions. If he’s going to pay attention to even the eleventh, it certainly will fill the first ten.

At the same Kiriyenko in any case can not be considered “hardware theorist”. He has experience in government. He has experience with the regions. As the presidential representative in the Volga him five and a half years had to deal with such “political heavyweights”, as Mintimer Shaimiev or Murtaza Rakhimov.

Sergey Kirienko knows how to take advantage of the media. In Kiriyenko — good communication in the oligarchic circles of Russian society, in the part of these circles, which is called “new oligarchs” or ” tycoons of the post-Yeltsin spill.”

the new man at the top of the President’s office a long acquaintance with the President. When Kiriyenko was Prime Minister, Putin has held his present position — the first Deputy head of the Kremlin administration (though the old Putin’s Cabinet Kiriyenko not get it, now it works economic aide, Andrei Belousov GDP). When the summer of 1998, Putin was suddenly transferred to the position of Director of the FSB, first the news said he Kiriyenko.

Here is in what terms this has been mentioned by Putin himself: “Sitting in the office, the phone rings: “Can you come to the airport to meet Kirienko?” He was then Prime Minister, had returned from the President, who was on vacation in Karelia. I say “May”. “What?” – I think. I already suspected that something was wrong. Arrive at the airport – it turns out Putin: “Vladimir, Hello! I congratulate you! I said, “what?” And he said: “the Decree was signed. You are appointed Director of the FSB”.

I do Not know now when the meetings are one-on-one speaking to each other, Mr Putin and Mr Kiriyenko. But the new first Deputy head of the Kremlin apparatus was the man who in the last century was with the future President. Let’s see if it helps Sergey Kiriyenko in his new job in the Kremlin.

Read the story “the Second after Putin: why Volodin was appointed speaker of the state Duma”