Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 982 - 891: Advancing Cautiously

Chapter 982: Chapter 891: Advancing Cautiously

The situation at the Kremlin was more urgent than Wang Ye had imagined.

Not long after hanging up the phone with Gavriil, just as Wang Ye finished his cigarette, he received a call from his father-in-law, inviting him to dinner together.

On the phone, he made a special mention that Medvedev would also be present.

Wang Ye knew full well what this dinner was about.

It was time for a showdown!

Of course, it was the Kremlin that needed to make concessions, not the Duma, and certainly not Wang Ye!

After hanging up the phone, Wang Ye smiled slightly, put the matter aside for the moment, and began to deal with other public affairs.

Unfortunately, he was doomed not to have a quiet day today, as Grezlov slipped in to knock on the door and come in before he had been busy for long.

Grezlov seemed to be in a good mood, with a smile all over his face.

As soon as he sat down, he chuckled, "Today’s vote really kept everyone on edge, 225:225! I’ve been in the Duma for so many years, but to be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen a vote so evenly matched."

Wang Ye said helplessly, "That’s nothing to celebrate, after all, the nomination of the Prime Minister is the Kremlin’s power, and it’s a bit unreasonable for us to block it and not let it pass."

Grezlov slapped the sofa cushion and said indignantly:

"Hmph!

We, the Duma, are not mere voting machines. According to the power granted to us by the Constitution, the Duma has the right to reject any decisions and policies from the Kremlin and the government that are unreasonable or non-compliant.

This time it’s about making the Kremlin understand that Moscow is not a place where they can do whatever they want!"

The topic was a bit sensitive, and Wang Ye couldn’t agree with him, so he redirected the conversation:

"I reckon the Kremlin will nominate again soon. Before the next voting decision, we should still do some work and let it pass.

Otherwise, if we keep at an impasse, it won’t look good for anyone.

After all, our attitude in the Duma has been made clear, and the Kremlin side should have felt it."

Grezlov agreed with this, nodding and replying:

"Yes, I understand that too.

Even those congressmen who voted against know that this nomination will ultimately have to pass.

But thanks to this first voting round, the Kremlin should understand that in the future, in similar situations, they must consider our stance and can’t act recklessly."

After all, the First Faction was part of the Kremlin’s "die-hard allies," standing united on the same front.

This time, it was just internal discord, protesting the Kremlin’s decision to hand such an important position to the "greenhorn" Medvedev.

Wang Ye laughed and asked, "How many votes did your First Faction actually cast in favor this time? It looks like it wasn’t even half."

Grezlov smirked proudly and said in a lowered voice:

"Indeed, it wasn’t half; I estimate it was about seventy votes. The faction is still quite divided.

But some congressmen are neutral and don’t care much about the Prime Minister nomination. It was I who worked on them and got them to vote against!

Next time we vote, I will have these neutral congressmen vote in favor, around a dozen votes, that should be enough to ensure the vote passes."

Clearly, these dozen or so votes were Grezlov’s real "die-hard" support, his own strength.

It seemed he was indeed somewhat constrained as the Party leader and Speaker.

Out of over one hundred and fifty seats in the faction, the number he could truly control was only about a dozen.

The rest belonged to various minor factions, each with their own agenda.

Unified against outsiders when interests aligned.

But as soon as there was a conflict of interest, they would start fighting among themselves first.

Additionally, the Kremlin actually only controlled about seventy votes...

Compared to the last Duma, whether for Grezlov, the First Faction, or the Kremlin, their influence inside the Duma had all been significantly weakened!

The Kremlin must have concentrated their main forces and resources on the General Election at that time, after all, the position of the father-in-law was the most important.

So, they strategically gave up a part of their influence in the Duma.

The territory they conceded was basically eaten up by Wang Ye!

What was lost on one side was gained on the other, resulting in the current situation in the Duma: the most influential faction was not the First Faction, but the Second Faction.

The most influential person was not the Speaker and the First Faction Party Leader, but the Vice Speaker and the Second Faction Party Leader...

Of course, all of this could not be chalked up to luck but was the result of Wang Ye’s careful operation over a long period of time, fighting for it bit by bit!

Wang Ye mentally calculated, seventy votes from the First Faction, sixty votes from Rilinov’s side, making it one hundred and thirty votes.

The Moscow Faction wouldn’t vote in favor; the remaining minor factions basically followed his vote, which means they all voted in favor.

Thus, his own faction actually cast around ninety votes!

The margin of error shouldn’t be big, within one or two votes.

That meant, within the faction, about a dozen congressmen did not follow his decision and voted against!

It seemed there were not a few "traitors" within...

......

After talking with Grezlov, Wang Ye felt confident about the situation.

After seeing Grezlov off, he busied himself for a while longer, had dinner, rested briefly, then got up and went downstairs to ride directly to the Kremlin.

It wasn’t even two o’clock yet; Wang Ye was certainly not going for dinner.

Don’t forget, inside the Kremlin, he was now a man with two offices!