The American Spectator

AmSpecBlog

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss

By Ilan Berman on 3.3.08 @ 10:46AM

Yesterday, while we were busy watching the Sunday talk shows, Russians were voting for their next president. To the surprise of practically no one, the victor has already been announced: Dmitri Medvedev, the Kremlin's current First Deputy Prime Minister and hand-picked protege of President Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev has been the heir apparent to the Putin throne for some time now, in part because there is a not-so-quiet official understanding that Putin will remain in the picture (as Prime Minister or in some other capacity). The watchword has been - and remains - continuity, rather than change.

The New York Sun's Eli Lake has a good review of the election and its implications (including some quotes from yours truly) here.

topics:
Vladimir Putin, Russia