Medvedev, left, was a close ally of Putin throughout his presidential terms [AFP]

Medvedev took the oath of office in an inauguration ceremony on Wednesday at Andreyevsky Hall in Moscow, becoming Russia's third president since the end of the Soviet era.
 
He said in his inaugural address that "the development of civil and economic freedom" would be the key issues covered during his presidency.
 
Medvedev was hand-picked as a candidate for the presidency by Putin, who has led Russia for the past eight years.
 
Viktor Zubkov, Russia's prime minister, resigned shortly after Medvedev's inauguration, clearing the way for Putin to be appointed in the post.
 
Putin, who was barred from running for a third consecutive presidential term by Russia's constitution, is expected to exercise considerable power as an adviser to Medvedev.
 
Rule of law

Many Russians think that Putin will manage Medvedev's presidency [AFP]

Medvedev said he will aim to create "new and wide opportunities of self-fulfilment for citizens - citizens who are free and responsible both for their own success and the flourishing of the entire country."
 
"It is such people who create a really worthy nation and are the sources of a strong state, a state which today has the needed resources and a clear understanding of its national interests."
 
Highlighting his background as a lawyer, the new president said that he would work to ensure that Russian laws are applied fairly.
 
"I attach particular importance to the fundamental role of the law, on which both our state and our civil society are based," he said.
 
"We must achieve a sincere respect for the law and overcome legal nihilism."
 
Sergei Strokan, a Russian journalist, said that he was particularly interested by Medvedev's emphasis on abiding by the rule of law.
 
"At the start of Putin's presidency, he also was speaking about law, but he said 'dictatorship of law'. There was no mention of dictatorship in Medvedev's speech," he said.
 
"But Medvedev is a lawyer himself and he is emphasising that law has to awaken Russia."
 
Medvedev thanked Putin for his leadership during his inauguration and said he would count on his support in the future.
 
Meteoric rise
 
Medvedev's inauguration caps a rise from being a Putin-era bureaucrat to the leader of the world's largest energy producing country.
 
He takes over from a leader who presided over strong economic growth in Russia.
 
The country has recovered from an economic collapse in the early 1990s to become the world's 10th largest economy, with a $1.3trn gross domestic product.

Recommend this article...

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto: