Russian President Vladimir Putin has nominated Mikhail Mishustin, a 53-year-old head of the tax service, as the next Prime Minister of the country.

The move came after the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his cabinet had stepped down over presidential proposals to amend the constitution.

The constitutional changes proposed by President Putin would give him scope to extend his grip on power by diminishing the powers of the presidency and beefing up those of the Prime Minister.

NNR/Khokhar