Mikhail Kasyanov (left) and Vladimir Putin

Moscow, Feb. 24 (Reuters): Russian President Vladimir Putin sacked his government today and pledged to appoint a team to overhaul policy ahead of next month’s presidential election.

The move underscored Putin’s confidence in winning a second term, and he said it was intended to set the country’s course after the election.

A new head of government was now certain to be appointed to replace outgoing Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov well before the March 14 poll.

Putin immediately signed a decree naming a Kasyanov deputy, Viktor Khristenko, as interim Prime Minister.

The president’s decision -- or at least its timing -- took the country by surprise, as under the Constitution the government is formally required to submit its resignation anyway after an election.

Russia’s President enjoys considerable powers under the post-Soviet constitution, leaving the Prime Minister responsible for implementing Kremlin policy and overseeing the economy.

Putin has long expressed impatience with Kasyanov, associated with Boris Yeltsin’s former administration, for failing to produce quick reforms or sufficient economic growth.

The suave Kasyanov was the only major official to criticise the incarceration of oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky pending trial on charges of fraud and tax evasion. Igor Bunin, an analyst, said Putin’s decision was largely psychological. “Putin just simply can’t stand Kasyanov. There has been a lot of disagreement over economic policy.

“Secondly, it’s a symbolic move. Putin stood up and effectively said ‘I want to make it clear that all ties with Boris Yeltsin’s family and its son, Kasyanov, have now been severed. Voters are only going to like that.”