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