Kasyanov, Mikhail Mikhailovich

(1957– )

   After serving in Boris Yeltsin’s administration, Mikhail Kasyanov became prime minister of the Russian Federation in May 2000 under Vladimir Putin. During his tenure, he supported fiscal reforms, a reorganization of the pension system, and modernization of the country’s infrastructure. He also supported Yukos plans to develop an oil pipeline to the Pacific Ocean via China, a route that was unpopular among Putin loyalists. Putin dismissed Kasyanov and his entire cabinet on 24 February 2004, signaling a trend toward a nationalistic and conservative approach to governance. A year later, Kasyanov declared his intention to run in the next presidential elections, a bid supported by certain oligarchs and anti-Kremlin figures such as Garry Kasparov. Kasyanov established the People’s Democratic Union as a vehicle for his political ambitions; the group also joined The Other Russia coalition. Kasyanov’s criticism of Putin’s vertical of power soon triggered investigations of possible past corruption, and he was regularly lambasted in the popular media. His hopes to challenge Dmitry Medvyedev in the 2008 presidential race were derailed when a percentage of the signatures he obtained were declared invalid by the Central Election Commission.

   See also Politics.