Few signs Putin relinquishing power as term comes to close
MOSCOW - Will Dmitri A. Medvedev ever be his own man?
That question, which arose soon after President Vladimir V. Putin named Medvedev as his successor, has yet to be settled. If anything, the notion has only deepened in recent weeks that while Medvedev will occupy the Kremlin after May 7, Putin will continue to control it from his new post as prime minister.
Still, whether or not this will be a proper or effective arrangement, it seems to be one that many Russians want.
In December, Putin, who is limited to two terms under the Russian Constitution, endorsed Medvedev, a first deputy prime minister and longtime aide. With the Kremlin championing his candidacy and using its authority to squeeze the opposition, Medvedev coasted to victory on March 2. Since then, he has unveiled no major staff appointments, changes in the structure of government or strikingly new proposals.
While heir to czars and general secretaries, Medvedev comes across as the dutiful senior bureaucrat he once was, a former law professor who seems more interested in doing a line-by-line budget analysis for fiscal 2010 than in rousing this nation forward.
He gives speeches calling for more housing and less corruption, faster Internet connections, and an assortment of other unobjectionable measures. He reviews legislation with aides and greets an occasional head of state. Sometimes, he is shown on television mustering up a public scolding of a ham-handed government agency, as if he were trying out a few tough-guy mannerisms picked up from his mentor, Putin.
It is an oddly low-key performance, yet one that seems to be in tune with Russians' preferences.
Medvedev is taking office against the backdrop of a Russian resurgence that contrasts with the financial tumult in much of the world.
Spurred by revenue from high oil prices, the economy grew by 8 percent last year, and foreign investment in Russia has soared. Once a pauper, Russia has squirreled away hundreds of billions of dollars in hard currency reserves.
Consumer confidence in Russia has reached its highest level since before the financial collapse of 1998, according to new government data.
In light of all this, the public's most pressing demand, it seems, is that the government not disrupt the relative stability. If that means that Putin dominates a puppet presidency, then so be it.
And there are signs that things are headed that way. Consider this week's events, when it was hard to tell which leader was the president-elect and which was the lame duck.
At a convention of the ruling party on Tuesday, Putin announced that he would become its chairman, giving him another power base. Medvedev was on the sidelines, delivering one more testimonial to Putin.
Putin's leadership of the party, Medvedev declared, will "serve to strengthen and develop the main democratic institutions of our society."
Putin did not exactly return the favor. He mentioned Medvedev in his speech, but lingered mostly on his own accomplishments and the successes of the party, United Russia, which he created. He vowed to bolster the party, which already dominates nearly every lawmaking body in the land.
