Russian parliament confirms Medvedev as PM

(France) – Russia’s lower house of parliament confirmed former head of state Dmitry Medvedev as Prime Minister after he was nominated by newly inaugurated President Vladimir Putin. Medvedev was backed by 299 deputies in the State Duma with 144 voting against his nomination.
Putin later signed the decree meaning that Medvedev formally assumed his duties as premier. Speaking on the occasion, Medvedev said to parliamentarians, “I will do my best to maintain the positive dynamics of key directions in social and economic development and solve the problems that stand in the way of achieving our goals”.