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Medvedev to win by landslide
03/03/2008 08:02 - (SA)
Moscow - Dmitry Medvedev looked set to win a landslide victory in the election to replace his patron Vladimir Putin as Russia's president, promising to continue Putin's path and to appoint him prime minister.
The result promises a smooth leadership transition for the resurgent global power, but raises questions about who will genuinely be calling the shots.
Medvedev was Putin's endorsed choice as successor and that imprimatur made his election over weak challengers a foregone conclusion. With 97% of the precincts counted, he had more than 70% of the votes.
But despite the election's lack of suspense, the world closely followed it for signs of how this sprawling nation, with its immense oil and gas reserves, will engage with global rivals and partners at a time of rising commodities prices.
Most Russians expect the mild-mannered, 42-year-old Medvedev to follow Putin's lead - perhaps even allowing his mentor to rule from behind the scenes. Although Medvedev has presented himself as a liberal, he has also been one of the key implementers of Putin's drive to give the Kremlin a near monopoly on political power in Russia.
Analysts will be looking for signals of changes in Kremlin policy under Medvedev, whose rhetoric has presented a more democratic, Western-leaning face to the world than Putin.
Alleged violations
At a news conference early on Monday, Medvedev was asked who would run foreign affairs - him or the prime minister. "Under the constitution, the president determines foreign policy," he said.
Medvedev ran against three rivals apparently permitted on the ballot because of their loyalty to the Kremlin line. But the two candidates - Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov and ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky - still alleged violations after the voting ended.
Zyuganov, Medvedev's nearest challenger with 18% in the incomplete results, said he would dispute the result. Zhirinovsky threatened to do so as well, before backing down.
As a key implementer of Putin's polices, Medvedev is seen as unlikely to alter Putin's assertive stance with the West, reduce state control over Russia's mineral riches or allow more real opposition movements to flourish.
"Our candidate, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, has taken a firm lead," Putin said late on Sunday, appearing alongside his protege at a celebration at the Red Square outside the Kremlin.
"I'm congratulating Dmitry Anatolyevich and I wish him success," Putin said. "Such a victory carries a lot of obligations. This victory will serve as a guarantee that the course we have chosen, the successful course we have been following over the past eight years, will be continued."
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