The Russian cabinet was dissolved on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and his cabinet resigned. Russian President Vladimir Putin has nominated the relatively obscure Viktor Zubkov to replace Fradkov as the new prime minister. This widely anticipated move paves the way for a restructuring of the Russian government before elections early next year.

Although the resignation may have been anticipated, the timing and choice of a successor has thrown commentators on Russian affairs into a frenzy of activity. There is a great deal of uncertainty as to who will succeed Putin, or even if he will step down at all.

The Russian Constitution stipulates that no president can remain in office for more than two terms consecutively. While Putin has repeatedly said that he will step down at the end of this term, his second, he is so popular and has such a strong hold on Russian politics that there would be little opposition if he did try to amend the Constitution. According to Stratfor, “He has the option of remaining in power as long as he wishes and will only leave power on his own terms” (September 12).

This resignation of the prime minister and cabinet reveals just how much power Putin holds. After accepting the resignations, he nominated Zubkov as the new prime minister, and within 20 minutes, the speaker for the Duma’s lower house spoke out in support of Zubkov. A senior member of United Russia, the party with the majority in the lower house, has said that Zubkov could be confirmed into office by the end of the week. The message is clear: Putin calls the shots.

Putin’s latest move has caught many commentators off guard. Speculation is rife about why Putin picked Zubkov. Some say he did so because Zubkov is someone he could easily push around, even when out of office. Another theory is that Putin has not yet decided who will replace him as president, and has appointed Zubkov, a neutral, simply in order to fill a place. Others say that Putin will make Zubkov president, for a while, allowing Putin to then return as president without amending the Constitution.

Whatever Putin is planning for Russia’s future, it is sure that right now he is in control. The president is working hard to ensure that his aggressive policies to build Russia up as a global power will continue into the next regime. Events are unfolding quickly—continue to watch Russia.