RUSSIA - Mar 1 - Putin Names Fradkov As PM.

Pres. Putin names Mikhail Fradkov, a 53-year-old career civil servant who is Moscow's envoy to the EU, as the next prime minister. (Critics say this is the continuation of a trend towards authoritarianism and statism). Putin in TV remarks stresses Fradkov's knowledge of the "siloviki" (people close to the security and law enforcement agencies), praises his "honesty" and his "experience in fighting corruption", and describes him as a "good, strong administrator". Fradkov was formally endorsed by the strongly pro-Kremlin parliament on March 5 and he presented plans for his future government. (The new PM is seen as largely free of links to business or political groups and likely to loyally implement the Kremlin's reform programme. Russia's financial markets initially reacted negatively to the news, with the rouble dropping briefly against the US dollar and shares dipping. But the RTS benchmark index of leading stocks later closed at an all-time high as financial analysts argued that the appointment gave Putin a free hand to implement reforms).