Mikhail Mishustin has been elected Prime Minster of Russia by the Russian parliament on Thursday. He follows Dmitri Medvedev who resigned on Wednesday just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed major changes to the Russian constitution. The move by Mr. Putin who has been in power for twenty years and who once circumvented term limits to stay in charge of affairs in Russia was widely viewed as laying the groundwork to secure a hold on power. In his address, Mr. Putin seemed to suggest spreading power more evenly in Russia, away from the presidency and to Parliament and a as-yet only vaguely sketched State Council. Some observers, however, suggested that Mr. Putin’s move was designed to ensure that things in Russia stay the same as long as Mr. Putin is alive.