Medvedev sworn in as Russian president

* Luke Harding in Moscow
* guardian.co.uk,
* Wednesday May 7 2008
11am BST


Dmitry Medvedev today became Russia's new president and the country's third post-Soviet leader during a glittering ceremony at the Kremlin which – formally at least – brought down the curtain on Vladimir Putin's eight tumultuous years in power.

Standing next to Putin, the outgoing president, Medvedev swore on oath on Russia's constitution. He then delivered a speech promising to improve the lives of ordinary Russians, fight corruption and end the country's "legal nihilism".

He said: "I'm going to pay special attention to the fundamental role of the law. We must achieve a true respect in law, and overcome the legal nihilism, which is hampering modern development." He also promised to make life "comfortable, confident and secure" for ordinary Russians.

Medvedev also paid warm tribute to his predecessor. He is expected to nominate Putin tomorrow as Russia's new prime minister and head of the government. "I would like to thank Vladimir Putin for his personal support, which I have felt constantly," he said.

Today's carefully choreographed ceremony left little doubt that Putin and Medvev are likely to run Russia as a tandem – with Putin wielding considerable influence, especially behind the scenes, from his new prime ministerial office in Russia's White House.

Putin arrived first at the Kremlin palace. He strolled down a long red carpet in front of 2,400 dignitaries, diplomats, and Russia's patriarch Alexey II. Medvedev turned up next – a diminutive figure, who as he entered the Kremlin's vast gold Andreyevsky Hall nervously scanned his feet.

Afterwards both men stood together side by side in the Kremlin's cold, blustery palace courtyard as a 31-gun salute boomed cross the capital. Aged just 42, and the youngest Russian leader for well over a century, Medvedev now faces a formidable series of problems – both at home and abroad.

Early challenges include dealing with Russia's rampant inflation – currently running at at least 12%. He also has to tackle growing popular dissatisfaction at rising food and utility prices, and Russia continuing demographic crisis.

Medvedev also has several foreign policy problems in his in-tray. He has to decide what to do about the breakaway region of Abkhazia, where Russia is embroiled in a military standoff with Georgia, and negotiate a new co-operation and partnership agreement with the European Union.

Medvevev has announced that his first foreign trip will be to China and Kazakhstan. But one of his early tasks will be to try and establish good relations with the next president of the United States – and improve Moscow's fractious relationship with Washington.

Today experts said that arguably Medvedev's biggest challenge would be to prevent the Kremlin's powerful siloviki, or military/intelligence clan from moving against him. Unlike Putin, Medvedev – a former St Petersburg lawyer – was never in the KGB, whose ex-members dominate the top echelons of Russia's government and bureaucracy.

"He has got enough problems to make his hair go grey," Sam Greene, an expert at the Moscow Carnegie Centre said today. Asked who Russia's real leader would be, he said: "We have to assume the status quo remains in place, with Putin as the person in the elite whom everyone calls.

"This regime has thrived on flexibility and informal power relations. I've got no reason to think this is going to change in the future. The thing that made Putin different from Boris Yeltsin is his ability to mediate between different factions within the elite. This isn't something codified in the constitution, and it can't easily be passed to Medvede," he said.

Political analysts are divided as to whether Putin intends to come back as president in 2012, or gradually fade away from politics. Under Russia's constitution, Putin who took over from Boris Yeltsin in 2000 was obliged to step down as president. But there is nothing to stop him returning after a four-year gap.

Today Putin strongly hinted that he stuck to the law – despite calls from powerful factions inside the Kremlin for him to amend the constitution and serve a third term as president. "I made a commitment to work openly and honestly, to faithfully serve the people and the state. And I did not violate my promise," he said in a brief address.

Medvedev's promise, meanwhile, to turn Russia into a law-based society is an intriguing one. Yesterday, the authorities banned an anti-Kremlin opposition rally in Moscow by supporters of The Other Russia movement, despite the constitution guaranteeing the right to assembly. One man was arrested and bundled into a police van after trying to unfurl a banner.

"Our pensions are now 40 times less than what MPs earn. We have to survive on 4,000 roubles (£88) a month," Zoya Vasilyevna, a 77-year-old retired teacher, complained at the rally. "It was my generation who defended this country in the war, but now these bastards have stolen all the resources.

"Putin only likes billionaires. He's not interested in us," she said.