Dmitry Medvedev's landslide victory in Russia's presidential election was confirmed today in a poll that European election observers dismissed as not free or fair.
With more than 99% of votes counted, Medvedev, President Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, secured more than 70%.
Putin's endorsement made Medvedev's success over weak challengers a foregone conclusion.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said the result did reflect the will of Russians, but Andreas Gross, head of the mission, said: "It is still not free and still not fair."
The group criticised the barring of two liberal candidates from the ballot and the extensive television coverage of Medvedev throughout the campaign.
Gross said the election had "the character of a plebiscite". He added: "It would be too simple to say that the result was fixed."
Medvedev is expected to follow Putin's lead when he takes over in May, perhaps allowing his mentor to rule from behind the scenes. Medvedev hinted last night at the formidable power Putin would continue to wield, promising a "direct continuation" of his mentor's policies.
The two men appeared last night at a triumphal Red Square pop concert, milking Medvedev's easy election victory in front of a crowd of thousands of cheering supporters, and heralding a seamless transition from Putin's eight years in office.
Later, he told reporters that "joint work" with Putin "can give the country rather interesting results and become a positive factor in the development of our state".
On forming a government and the all-important Kremlin administration, he said: "I will work on this jointly with Vladimir Putin as a future prime minister." But he did add that he, as president, would direct foreign policy, and said his first trip overseas would be to a former Soviet republic.
Congratulating Medvedev, Putin said: "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."
Medvedev has presented himself as a liberal, but he has been crucial to Putin's drive to give the Kremlin a near monopoly on political power in Russia.
"We will increase stability, improve the quality of life and move forward on the path we have chosen. We will be able to preserve the course of President Putin," he said.
In his first news conference as president-elect, Medvedev was asked who would run foreign affairs — him or the prime minister. "Under the constitution, the president determines foreign policy," he said.
One analyst said that Medvedev's presidency would mean a new era for Russian politics, even though Putin has not gone away.
"In 11 centuries of Russian history it's never happened that there has been a new tsar and that nothing has changed," Boris Makarenko, deputy director of the Centre for Political Technologies in Moscow, told the Guardian.
Two of Medvedev's three election rivals, the Communist party chief, Gennady Zyuganov, and the ultranationalist, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, alleged electoral violations after yesterday's ballot.
Zyuganov, Medvedev's nearest challenger with 18%, said he would dispute the result.Zhirinovsky also threatened to do so, before backing down.
The Liberal opposition leaders Garry Kasparov and Mikhail Kasyanov were barred from running because of technicalities.
Voters across Russia said they were being pressured to vote to ensure Medvedev's landslide.
Polling stations offered enticements, including discounted food, office supplies and concert tickets. This approach echoed the practices of the Soviet era, when scarce items were available during carefully staged elections.
Russian opposition activists are today planning to hold rallies in protest at the poll outside election commissions in Moscow and St Petersburg.
The head of an independent Russian election monitoring group, Liliya Shabanova, said she had had a stream of complaints of irregularities, including blatant attempts to influence voters and voters being "bought off".
The Tory MP Nigel Evans, a member of the European team observing the elections, told BBC World Service: "Medvedev was getting 17 times more coverage than other candidates put together. Clearly that has to be a problem, and we have huge reservations about that."
With more than 99% of votes counted, Medvedev, President Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, secured more than 70%.
Putin's endorsement made Medvedev's success over weak challengers a foregone conclusion.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said the result did reflect the will of Russians, but Andreas Gross, head of the mission, said: "It is still not free and still not fair."
The group criticised the barring of two liberal candidates from the ballot and the extensive television coverage of Medvedev throughout the campaign.
Gross said the election had "the character of a plebiscite". He added: "It would be too simple to say that the result was fixed."
Medvedev is expected to follow Putin's lead when he takes over in May, perhaps allowing his mentor to rule from behind the scenes. Medvedev hinted last night at the formidable power Putin would continue to wield, promising a "direct continuation" of his mentor's policies.
The two men appeared last night at a triumphal Red Square pop concert, milking Medvedev's easy election victory in front of a crowd of thousands of cheering supporters, and heralding a seamless transition from Putin's eight years in office.
Later, he told reporters that "joint work" with Putin "can give the country rather interesting results and become a positive factor in the development of our state".
On forming a government and the all-important Kremlin administration, he said: "I will work on this jointly with Vladimir Putin as a future prime minister." But he did add that he, as president, would direct foreign policy, and said his first trip overseas would be to a former Soviet republic.
Congratulating Medvedev, Putin said: "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."
Medvedev has presented himself as a liberal, but he has been crucial to Putin's drive to give the Kremlin a near monopoly on political power in Russia.
"We will increase stability, improve the quality of life and move forward on the path we have chosen. We will be able to preserve the course of President Putin," he said.
In his first news conference as president-elect, Medvedev was asked who would run foreign affairs — him or the prime minister. "Under the constitution, the president determines foreign policy," he said.
One analyst said that Medvedev's presidency would mean a new era for Russian politics, even though Putin has not gone away.
"In 11 centuries of Russian history it's never happened that there has been a new tsar and that nothing has changed," Boris Makarenko, deputy director of the Centre for Political Technologies in Moscow, told the Guardian.
Two of Medvedev's three election rivals, the Communist party chief, Gennady Zyuganov, and the ultranationalist, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, alleged electoral violations after yesterday's ballot.
Zyuganov, Medvedev's nearest challenger with 18%, said he would dispute the result.Zhirinovsky also threatened to do so, before backing down.
The Liberal opposition leaders Garry Kasparov and Mikhail Kasyanov were barred from running because of technicalities.
Voters across Russia said they were being pressured to vote to ensure Medvedev's landslide.
Polling stations offered enticements, including discounted food, office supplies and concert tickets. This approach echoed the practices of the Soviet era, when scarce items were available during carefully staged elections.
Russian opposition activists are today planning to hold rallies in protest at the poll outside election commissions in Moscow and St Petersburg.
The head of an independent Russian election monitoring group, Liliya Shabanova, said she had had a stream of complaints of irregularities, including blatant attempts to influence voters and voters being "bought off".
The Tory MP Nigel Evans, a member of the European team observing the elections, told BBC World Service: "Medvedev was getting 17 times more coverage than other candidates put together. Clearly that has to be a problem, and we have huge reservations about that."
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