Russia's Putin taps Dmitry Medvedev for prime minister

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (C), German former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (L) and Chairman of the board of directors of Gazprom company Viktor Zubkov attend a ceremony inaugurating Vladimir Putin as President of Russia at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 7, 2018. Sputnik/Kremlin via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday put forward Dmitry Medvedev for the post of prime minister, the Kremlin said in a statement on its website.

Medvedev, who had been prime minister since 2012, resigned earlier on Monday along with the rest of the government in line with procedure. Putin was on Monday sworn in for a fourth term.

Medvedev's candidacy still has to be approved by the State Duma, or the lower house of parliament.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Christian Lowe)