Russia's next president Dmitry Medvedev pledged to uphold Vladimir Putin's policies on Monday after a big election win that critics said was stage-managed to let the outgoing Kremlin leader keep his grip on power.
Displaying the double act that will be at the helm in Russia, Medvedev's first public appearance after results were released was to stand side by side with his mentor Putin on stage at a victory concert in Red Square.
Medvedev, 42, who will be the youngest Russian leader since Tsar Nicholas II when he is sworn in on May 7, has asked former KGB spy Putin to be his prime minister. Putin, 55, was prevented by term limits from running for re-election.
But it is still not clear which of the two will really be in charge of the vast, nuclear-armed country, and analysts question if their power-sharing arrangement can last long in a nation accustomed to having a single, strong leader.
Many Russians are enjoying the benefits of the biggest economic boom in a generation - fuelled largely by oil exports - and they see Medvedev as the natural heir to Putin and the best chance of hanging on to their new-found prosperity.
"I think (my presidency) will be a direct continuation," said Medvedev, referring to Putin's eight years in office - a period marked by a concentration of power in the Kremlin and a willingness to stand up to the West on foreign policy.
In a further sign Russia was not softening its assertive foreign policy, state-controlled gas giant Gazprom was preparing to reduce supplies to pro-Western neighbour Ukraine at 7 a.m. British time on Monday over a debt dispute.
PUTIN'S SHADOW
But Medvedev, a former law professor who has spent most of his working life in Putin's shadow, made clear he would not let his powerful prime minister encroach on his authority.
"The president's main office is in the Kremlin. The prime minister's permanent location is the White House (government headquarters)," he told reporters at his campaign headquarters.
