FACTBOX: Russian president and prime minister: who does what?
(Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev was sworn in as Russian president on Wednesday but his predecessor Vladimir Putin will serve as his prime minister.
Following is a breakdown of presidential and prime ministerial powers under the current constitutional rules.
Russian officials caution that an exclusively legal view of the division of power does not allow for the deeply personal basis of authority in Russia.
* PRESIDENT:
- Head of state.
- Office in the Kremlin.
- Commander-in-chief of armed forces -- in charge of Russia's nuclear weapons.
- Sets direction of foreign and domestic policies.
- Guarantor of the constitution, citizens' rights.
- Defender of Russia's sovereignty.
- Prime minister reports directly to the president.
- Appoints and sacks prime minister and other federal ministers, subject to parliamentary approval.
- All Russian spy services report directly to the president.
- Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry, Emergency Ministry, Justice Ministry report directly to president.
- Controls the Presidential Administration, based in the Kremlin.
- Has a right to chair cabinet meetings, but normally leaves this to the prime minister. Continued...
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