Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 883 - 842: Distribution of Power_2

Chapter 883: Chapter 842: Distribution of Power_2

From this, one can see that the new Duma is divided into three major forces.

The strongest, of course, is led by Wang Ye, encompassing the Second Faction, the New Faction headed by Rilinov as Party leader, and several other Minor factions.

Grezlov’s First Faction, on the other hand, is not as strong as Wang Ye’s.

As for the Moscow Faction, they have been isolated and are the weakest in strength!

Grezlov, sitting in the main seat, became somewhat silent upon seeing this scene, wondering whether he should replace the meeting table with a shorter one...

At least, that would seem better on the surface.

......

Once everyone had arrived, the meeting began.

Today’s discussion was about the candidates for Speaker and Vice Speaker.

These positions could only be held by the Party leaders of the various factions, so it was up to these few people to decide.

Before Grezlov could say much, Rilinov spoke first:

"I nominate Mikhail to be Speaker, as everyone knows, in the last Duma, Mikhail was the most effective worker, without exception!

Forming the United Aviation Group, expanding international markets for domestic oil and natural gas industries, acquiring Automobile Brands to build industry Bases, and seeking funds to support education in remote cities, and so on.

This series of work has been conspicuously successful, and it is witnessed by all!

I believe that if he serves as Speaker, he will definitely lead the new Duma to create more splendid achievements!"

His words were clearly emotional, as Rilinov was not satisfied with Grezlov.

Both publicly and privately, he preferred Wang Ye for the position of Duma Speaker.

Grezlov’s expression turned somewhat sour; after all, he was the Party leader of the First Faction, and by convention, he should be the Speaker!

Of course, this convention had only been followed for one term...

In the previous Duma, before the last, it was even more chaotic, with no rules to speak of.

However, Rilinov’s words made Wang Ye feel uneasy; although he controlled the number of seats for his Faction, he did not want to take on the duty of Duma Speaker.

He hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Rilinov, for your trust, but it’s against the rules. Grezlov’s faction is, after all, the First Faction in the new Duma; it would be right for him to serve as Speaker. I would rather be the Vice Speaker and assist him in his work."

Rilinov glared dissatisfiedly and retorted, "What rules! Is there any law in the Duma that says the Party leader of the Second Faction cannot be Speaker? As long as we all support you, that is the rule!"

Wang Ye was somewhat at a loss for words; indeed, there was no explicit regulation about who should assume the role of Speaker...

Grezlov was getting impatient with the discussion, as he and Wang Ye had already agreed in advance that he would take the position of Speaker, and Wang Ye had clearly expressed his support.

Why on earth did Rilinov have to jump out and stir things up!

He spoke with a hint of displeasure, "Comrade Rilinov, it’s not your turn to decide who the Speaker candidate will be. We should respect Mikhail’s opinion!"

Rilinov glared, obviously ready to argue back against Grezlov’s words. He did not submit to Grezlov, his faction was clearly in an "opposing camp" to the First Faction.

Although the Duma Election was over, the General Election for President was about to begin!

His faction’s candidate was naturally Khodorkovsky, while Grezlov’s faction was endorsing Puding!

These two candidates were currently the most popular, with other factions not even putting forward a candidate...

If they were opposing camps, then there was no need for niceties, just go head-to-head and be done with it!

Wang Ye did not want to see them quarrel.

He was, after all, a representative of the "neutral faction" and had the responsibility of balancing the internal powers of the various factions within the Duma.

In other words, even if he did not hold the position of Speaker, he still had the duty of an "invisible Speaker" in this session of the Duma!

Before Mr. Rilinov could speak, Wang Ye preempted him, "Alright, everyone quiet down and listen to me for a moment."

He had that much clout, so when he said this, Rilinov swallowed the words that had reached his lips, and the others maintained their silence, their eyes on Wang Ye.

Wang Ye cleared his throat and spoke unhurriedly, "Let’s get straight to the point. I nominate Mr. Grezlov for the position of Speaker. Those in favor, raise your hand; those against, don’t. There are a total of eight people in the meeting room, so a count of five votes or more will confirm the decision."

With that, he was the first to raise his right hand.

Grezlov didn’t hesitate either and immediately raised his hand as well, acting on the belief that one should promote the worthy without considering relations, even though he was unaware of this saying...

Rilinov and Krov exchanged glances, then turned their heads away simultaneously. Neither of them raised a hand.

But whether they raised their hands or not didn’t matter anymore because the leaders of the four minor factions, seeing that Wang Ye and Grezlov had already formed a tacit agreement—and these two were the party leaders of the first and second of the two major factions of the new session of the Duma—

Of course, they followed suit and promptly raised their hands as well.

Now with six votes, Wang Ye’s proposal had obtained the majority’s support and was thereby passed immediately!

Wang Ye nodded in satisfaction, with a smile on his face, he began to clap, adding, "Good, it seems that the choice of Mr. Grezlov as Speaker is indeed the general consensus. Congratulations to you, Chairman Grezlov!"

Scattered applause filled the meeting room almost immediately, of course, neither Rilinov nor Krov joined in the clapping...

However, they did not voice any further opposition either, because the decision had already been finalized. To oppose it now would mean going head-to-head with Wang Ye.

With the most crucial position of Speaker confirmed, it was natural to proceed to the election of the Vice Speaker.

There wasn’t much to choose from for this position, as Wang Ye, Rilinov, and Krov were naturally the Vice Speakers, given the number of seats their factions held.

Perhaps as a way of returning a favor, Grezlov specially proposed that Wang Ye take the position of First Vice Speaker, which would rank him slightly higher than Rilinov and Krov.

Rilinov certainly wouldn’t object. Even if he didn’t consider Wang Ye’s face, he still had to consider the face of Khodorkovsky.

Besides, he was well aware that if his faction wanted to avoid being ostracized in the Duma and to have an easier time, it was essential to maintain good relations with Wang Ye.

Having already fallen out with Grezlov and at odds with Krov, if he didn’t cling tightly to Wang Ye’s "coattails," how would he survive in the Duma in the future...

Krov, at heart, didn’t want to agree, but he had no choice. One can’t clap with one hand; seeing the others readily raising their hands in support, he could only reluctantly do the same.

......

This session of the Duma would have one Chairman, one First Vice Speaker, and two Vice Speakers, totaling four presiding officers.

The minor factions indeed had no right to claim any Vice Speaker positions, as their four factions together had only five Duma seats.

That is to say, for three of these factions, each had only one seat; the party leader himself was the sole Congressman...

Another minor faction was slightly better off, having one more Congressman in addition to the party leader himself.

Of course, this didn’t mean these minor factions had no influence; their members had been elected to State Councils or held government positions in various states and administrative regions.

After the Speaker was elected, it was time to select chairs for the various committees.

Grezlov was the first to express discontent, pointing out solemnly that Krov had been incompetent during his tenure as chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Because over the years, Russia’s external environment had not improved, nor had it developed good diplomatic relations with other countries.

Therefore, Krov should admit his failure and resign, passing the position to someone more suitable.

And who was more suitable? Naturally, it was Mikhail, who had a higher reputation and standing in Europe!

Due to Mikhail’s unique identity and the fact that he was the fiancé of a duchess, he was naturally closer to many of Europe’s royal families, which could facilitate his diplomatic work...