Yevgeny Primakov, 1998 News

on-again, off-again Prime Minister of Russia, was selected for reappointment by Boris Yeltsin in August, five months after the Russian president fired him. With the hope of turning around Russia's faltering economy in March, Yeltsin had replaced Chernomyrdin with young reformer Sergei Kiriyenko. When it became clear in August that the economy was still suffering, Yeltsin again fired his cabinet, including Kiriyenko. In another turn of events, Yeltsin was unable to find Parliamentary support for Chernomyrdin's nomination and Chernomyrdin asked that his name be withdrawn. Yeltsin then nominated Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov, who took office in September with Parliament's approval.