Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 977 - 888 Things Have Escalated_2

Chapter 977: Chapter 888 Things Have Escalated_2

Grezlov had also communicated this idea with the Kremlin, but at the time, the Kremlin had neither confirmed nor denied, only saying that they were still considering it.

He thought he had it in the bag, because from every angle, his recommended candidate had no competition!

But who would have expected that the new nominee would be none other than Medvedev!

He was very angry, first, because he had already boasted to his old buddy that he could definitely secure the position.

Second, such a move by the Kremlin was a snub to the many long-standing core members of the faction.

Everyone knows that the Hilarwick Group isn’t a monolith but is comprised of many different power bases.

There’s the Peterburg Faction, the factions originating from the KGB, the Police System, the Legal System, and so on.

Although everyone had come together for a common grand goal, who could be without personal ambition?

Thus, the struggle for power and profit within the faction was also very fierce.

The previous officeholder, Kasianov, had also been chosen by the Kremlin to balance relations within and outside the faction.

Now with Kasianov stepping down, if they were going to choose from within the faction, there would need to be a serious tug-of-war.

Everyone knew about Medvedev’s relationship with the Kremlin, and perhaps some hadn’t paid attention to Medvedev before, but once the nomination came out, his background was certainly thoroughly investigated.

After understanding Medvedev’s background and origins, everyone also understood why the Kremlin would nominate him to take over the role of Prime Minister.

But to do so, the optics were undeniably ugly!

......

After contemplating for a while with his head bowed, Grezlov looked up as if he had made up his mind.

He said to Wang Ye, "I will clearly express my opposition to this nomination!"

Wang Ye was a bit surprised; he knew that Medvedev’s nomination would face a lot of opposition, but it wasn’t expected to include Grezlov!

No matter how you looked at it, Grezlov, the Party leader of the first faction, had always openly stood together with the Kremlin, maintaining unity.

If even he openly opposed, then this time, things could escalate significantly!

Wang Ye gave a wry smile and said, "Do you really want to do this? If it were just me opposing, there might not be consequences, but with your opposition, it’s a different matter."

After all, Grezlov was the Duma Speaker!

Even though his actual influence and power within the Duma were not as strong as Wang Ye, the first Vice Speaker, he was still nominally Duma’s "number one" person!

If he were to clearly oppose the Kremlin’s nomination, it basically meant the Duma was taking a stand against the Kremlin.

If no resolution was reached subsequently, it would be time for a showdown to determine the stronger party...

Of course, the Kremlin was well aware that Grezlov couldn’t represent the entire Duma!

They wouldn’t misinterpret Wang Ye having "different intentions" just because of Grezlov’s opposition.

However, Wang Ye didn’t want to make the relationship between the Duma and the Kremlin that rigid. He had many plans that required the Kremlin’s support to move forward.

If the two sides started to seriously clash, it would also impede his own work.

Grezlov laughed and explained:

"Don’t worry, I know what you’re concerned about.

When it actually comes to voting, I won’t really cast an opposing vote; I’ll probably cast an abstention.

But during internal faction communications, I will hold a clear opposition stance and certainly won’t help lobby members of the faction.

If they think they have everything under control, then let them communicate with the congressmen themselves.

If the final vote passes the nomination, then it’s their ability."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief; there was still room for maneuver.

But with Grezlov unwilling to lobby for the Kremlin and his intention to take a clear stance of opposition within the faction, it was estimated that there wouldn’t be many votes of support from the first faction when the time came.

In that case, he would have to put some thought into it...

......

Medvedev was undoubtedly recommended by Wang Ye.

However, there wasn’t much of a rapport between the two, so Wang Ye wasn’t too concerned about whether Medvedev would successfully take the position.

He just felt that, following "history," it was about time for Medvedev to "show up," right?

He was just going with the flow, merely making a suggestion; the ultimate decision was still up to the Kremlin, and it wasn’t much related to him.

But if Medvedev suffered a crushing defeat in the Duma vote, that was not what Wang Ye intended.

Originally, he thought that despite significant opposition, with the influence and control of the Kremlin, working behind the scenes before the Duma vote should make the outcome passable.

Even if the number of votes wasn’t very high...

It was possible that the support rate in the first vote didn’t reach a majority and didn’t pass.

But after a second round of voting, as long as the Kremlin remained firm, it was likely that some Congressmen would change their minds and switch to the supportive side.

After all, everyone was just momentarily disgruntled, and it was improbable that they would truly turn against the Kremlin over this issue.

What he never expected was that even Grezlov explicitly opposed it now!

If it went to a direct vote now, the outcome was predictable, and it probably wouldn’t look good...

This situation must be avoided at all costs!

After Grezlov left his office, Wang Ye waited a few minutes before he stood up, walked out, and headed to Rilinov’s office.

Inside the Duma, there were four factions; Grezlov’s First Faction had 155 seats, Wang Ye’s faction had 150 seats, and the Third Faction, which included Rilinov, had 80 seats.

The Moscow Faction came in fourth with only 60 seats, while the remaining Minor factions were negligible.

According to the rules, Medvedev’s nomination just needed to secure over half of the Duma votes, that is, 225 votes in favor, for it to pass.

Wang Ye had originally thought that even if only half of the First Faction voted in favor, and another hundred or so Congressmen from his faction did the same, that would roughly make up half the votes.

As for Rilinov and the Moscow Faction, there was no need to think about it; they would definitely either oppose or abstain...

Such a voting outcome would align with Wang Ye’s calculations, hovering around half, perhaps barely passing or potentially falling short by a few votes.

This result might not be ideal for Medvedev and could be somewhat embarrassing.

But for Wang Ye, it was the best possible outcome!

Because this way, he would have more room to maneuver...

Now, hearing Grezlov’s tone, it seemed that even half of the First Faction probably didn’t support the idea, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to directly sway members within his own faction to support Medvedev.

That would be counterproductive, as it would make it seem as though Medvedev was his nominee.

Other Congressmen and factions opposing the nomination would start to look at him differently, and they might even redirect their anger onto him!

Therefore, he couldn’t get involved personally nor could he allow the majority of his faction to support Medvedev. He needed to maintain that balance...

......

Upon arriving at Rilinov’s office, Wang Ye closed the door behind him and said with a smile, "Old leader, do you have a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you."

Although Rilinov was busy with work, Wang Ye’s visit meant he was definitely available.

He pulled Wang Ye over to sit by the sofa, and before he could ask what Wang Ye wanted, Wang Ye had already started speaking.

He said earnestly, "Regarding the Kremlin’s recent nomination, I want to know what your Faction really thinks. Are you in support, or opposed?"

Rilinov was startled for a moment before answering without hesitation, "Of course we’re opposed! What qualifies this Medvedev to hold such an important position? He’s not up to the task!"

Clearly, Rilinov was the kind of person who couldn’t stand flaws in his view and was outspoken about his thoughts.

Especially in front of Wang Ye, there was no need to hide his true opinions.

Wang Ye shook his head with a wry smile, wondering what the Kremlin had done in the "previous life" to get Medvedev into that position.

Why was he facing so much difficulty now!

But it was not surprising, because in the "previous life," the First Faction had far more seats in the Duma than now, and the Kremlin’s control was stronger.

Who knew that "Mikhail" would introduce such a significant variable...