Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 979 - 889 The Situation Looks Grim_2

Chapter 979: Chapter 889 The Situation Looks Grim_2

Rilinov’s faction held a total of eighty seats in the Duma, and they just needed to cast sixty affirmative votes.

Together with about a hundred affirmative votes from Wang Ye’s faction.

That would make a hundred sixty votes, and with just another sixty-five votes, Medvedev’s nomination could pass in the Duma.

Clearly, although Grezlov said he would oppose, he couldn’t represent everyone in the first faction.

After all, the Kremlin’s influence within the first faction was considerable.

Anyway, they should be able to secure sixty-five votes.

If it turned out that the Kremlin couldn’t even secure sixty-five votes out of a hundred fifty-five from the first faction, then Wang Ye would have to re-evaluate the Kremlin’s real strength and influence...

Relieved by Wang Ye’s request, Rilinov exhaled and said with a smile,

"Just sixty votes? That’s not a problem!

Our faction may be small, but we are relatively united. Plus, you’ve said that this position was originally intended for your uncle, but he declined.

If you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have even known.

Mr. Hofchinco didn’t mention it either; he’s been busy running around working on philanthropy lately, haha.

That’s essentially the Kremlin showing goodwill towards our faction, and now it’s only natural for our faction to respond in kind.

Misha, rest assured, I’ve got those sixty votes in the bag!"

Rilinov patted his chest as a guarantee.

Wang Ye breathed a sigh of relief. With Rilinov’s side sorted out, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.

He was fairly confident in his control over his own faction and anticipated gathering around a hundred affirmative votes with ease.

...

In light of the Kremlin’s Prime Minister nomination, the Duma specially convened a plenary meeting.

The meeting had only one item on the agenda, the Voting Decision!

Grezlov, Wang Ye, Rilinov, Krov, and several other Vice Speakers sat on the presiding table, while below them spread the fan-shaped seating of the Congressmen.

In the space between the presiding table and the Congressman seats, there was a podium; Medvedev, in a crisply pressed suit, stood beside the podium, waiting for his turn to deliver his speech.

Although he was trying hard to control his emotions, trying to appear relaxed with a smile on his face, some minor actions still betrayed his nervousness.

Indeed, Medvedev surely knew that the outcome of this Voting Decision might not be in his favor.

Just yesterday, Gavriil had told him with a grave tone to prepare for the possibility of a failed vote.

But the Kremlin would not back down!

Even if this vote failed, they would initiate a second nomination, and continue until it passed!

That’s easy to say, but if his nomination caused a clash between the Kremlin and the Duma, imagine how great Medvedev’s pressure would be...

He wasn’t even in office yet and was already at loggerheads with the Duma.

Even if the Duma eventually made concessions and he assumed the position, the Duma would surely hold a grudge against him.

Can’t touch the Kremlin, but couldn’t they deal with you, "little" Prime Minister?!

If the Duma decided to make life difficult for him and his Government departments, his days were clearly not going to be easy...

During the wait for the meeting to begin, Medvedev occasionally turned his head towards the presiding table and caught Wang Ye’s gaze.

He quickly mustered a smile and smiled at Wang Ye.

It was a critical moment now; he had to try to gain the favor of every Congressman, as a single vote could decide the outcome!

Moreover, with Deputy Speaker Mikhail’s immense influence in the Duma, not to mention being his former "boss" in the National Economic Commission, he had to show the utmost respect.

In fact, Medvedev was unaware that in a way, his opportunity had come thanks to Wang Ye’s recommendation.

Of course, Wang Ye’s recommendation was just the catalyst; the Kremlin’s decision to put him forward wasn’t solely based on Wang Ye’s recommendation...

Wang Ye smiled and nodded at Medvedev, making an encouraging gesture.

Next to him, Grezlov sat expressionless, his gaze fixed forward, while Rilinov appeared much more relaxed, frequently glancing around and occasionally greeting a Congressman.

As for the Moscow Faction’s Krov, he looked grave, as if weighed down by heavy thoughts.

It seemed this Voting Decision was not going to be a smooth one...

...

The meeting began, and first up was Medvedev’s presentation time, which also amounted to an opportunity for him to canvass for votes.

Since one is to serve as the Prime Minister, you at least need to let every Congressman know your plan of work after being elected.

Of course, this position cannot yet involve policies or the like, because those are considerations for the Kremlin...

Medvedev took a sip of water, moistened his throat, rested one hand on the podium, and stood up straight.

He began his speech with a smile:

"Honorable Speakers, Congressmen, I am Medvedev.

I am delighted to be standing here today to introduce myself..."

The conference hall was very quiet, everyone listening intently to Medvedev’s presentation.

Although some Congressmen had already made up their minds to vote against him, they still maintained the necessary decorum.

The ten-minute presentation time passed quickly, and Wang Ye felt it was passable. Although there was nothing too eye-catching, it was mature and steady.

Particularly when Medvedev emphasized in his speech that if he could serve as the Prime Minister, he would coordinate well with the Duma, seek more opinions from this side, and strive to let the Duma play a greater role in the future!

That was a gesture of goodwill towards the Duma...

Because according to the scope of duties, the Government should first consult with the Kremlin.

They need not have too much interaction with the Duma.

Of course, now with the increasing strength of the Duma, both the Kremlin and the Government have to consider the Duma’s reactions before making decisions...

...

After Medvedev finished his presentation, there was a moment of silence in the conference hall.

It only lasted a few seconds, but to Medvedev, it felt incredibly long, as if a century had passed!

What does this mean...

According to convention, shouldn’t there be enthusiastic applause at this time...

Just as he stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do, he heard someone on the Chairman’s stage start to clap.

Wang Ye was the first to break the silence in the conference hall, clapping slowly but resolutely.

Then came Rilinov.

Grezlov, though somewhat reluctant, saw that Wang Ye was applauding, and thinking it would be disrespectful not to follow suit, he resigned himself to join in.

Only Krov sat there with an expressionless face, unmoved, clearly resolute in his decision to snub everyone!

As a few Speakers on the stage clapped, the applause finally started to come from below.

At this moment, Medvedev finally breathed a sigh of relief. There was hope!

If all the Congressmen refused to applaud, then there was no need to proceed with the Voting Decision; he could just run off in disgrace...

Now it seemed some Congressmen supported him, at least Deputy Speaker Mikhail’s attitude was favorable. Having his support gave Medvedev some amount of confidence!

...

With Grezlov’s announcement, the voting officially began!

The conference hall became noisy, Congressmen whispering amongst themselves, but it did not affect the voting process.

Each Congressman’s desk was equipped with voting buttons: press the green one to signify approval, the red one for disapproval.

Of course, you could also choose not to press anything, which meant abstaining.

It has to be said, this Duma is much better than the previous one.

At least during the meetings, they could basically achieve full attendance, and if some Congressmen were on business trips, they would report to the Speaker in advance.

This time, all 450 Congressmen were present for the Voting Decision.

As the Congressmen pressed their buttons, several staff members began the count.

"Approve, approve, oppose, approve, oppose, oppose, oppose..."

Medvedev’s heart tightened again; the situation was looking grim!

There seemed to be quite a few opposing votes...