[Marulus]

Medvedev elected Russian president to succeed Putin

Staff

Kyodo World Service

Mar 03, 2008

Dmitry Medvedev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's favored successor, won the presidential election Sunday to succeed Putin, the central election board said early Monday.

Medvedev, 42, currently first deputy prime minister, will be the youngest Soviet or Russian leader since the end of World War II.

With 63 percent of the ballots counted, Medvedev has received 68.9 percent of the vote to lead all the other candidates, according to the election board.

He is expected to ask Putin, 55, to become prime minister, an offer Putin is likely to accept.

Medvedev faced three other challengers -- Gennady Zyuganov, 63, the head of the Communist Party, nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, 61, and Andrei Bogdanov, 38.

A total of around 109 million Russians were eligible to vote.

The election board said voter turnout was apparently around 67 percent, topping 64.39 percent in the previous 2004 presidential election.

In his election campaign, Medvedev said that he will follow policies pursued by Putin during his eight years as president. He has pledged he will promote a free economy with less government involvement and push for judicial independence.

Putin remains popular among the Russian public for his achievements, including presiding over rapid economic expansion amid soaring energy prices.

Putin must retire as president in May when his second four-year term expires. Russia's Constitution prohibits a person from serving as president for three consecutive terms.

Source: Kyodo World Service

[source]