The President announced that a candidature for the post of Prime Minister would be presented to the State Duma by mid-May. Appointments to the Presidential Executive Office would be made by the same time.
Speaking about the situation in the Chechen Republic, Mr Putin mentioned that a transitional period was planned to last for one and a half or two years. A draft bill on state bodies in Chechnya, which was being drawn up, would serve as the legal foundation for this period.
Mr Putin said that to ensure the good work of authorities, a legal foundation was needed. He added that a draft of the appropriate law based on the Russian Constitution would be drawn up and sent to the State Duma.
In response to a question from Kursk residents on monitoring the work of the regional authorities, the President said that the Presidential Control Directorate regularly carried out such inspections. One could be carried out in the near future if there were enough reasons for doing so; if not, it would be carried out according to the schedule.