Moscow - Russia's parliament confirmed Mr Mikhail Kasyanov (42), as prime minister yesterday, giving a resounding vote of support for President Vladimir Putin's choice after he pledged to pursue energetic reforms.
The State Duma lower house backed Mr Kasyanov, a liberal economist, by 325 votes to 55. Mr Kasyanov told deputies he was optimistic for Russia's future and pointed to a rise in industrial output of more than 10 per cent in January-April, compared with the same period of 1999.
