|
Moscow: Dmitry Medvedev may be a man of many qualities, but the one that comes across clearest is loyalty - for the most part, loyalty to President Vladimir Putin, who has been the senior partner in their close collaboration for nearly two decades.
That will formally change in May, when Putin steps down and Medvedev - if he wins - is sworn into the most powerful office in Russia. He has already vowed to make Putin his prime minister.
During a campaign drained of suspense but full of suspicion that Medvedev may take orders from Putin even as his boss, his past was mined for signs that he might veer from Putin's path.
Medvedev's resume depicts a dedicated aide who has marched in lockstep with Putin and his policies.
Putin, 55, and Medvedev, 42, first worked together for a former law professor who became head of the city council in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, in 1990.
Long journey
Putin brought Medvedev to Moscow in 1999, shortly before Boris Yeltsin stepped down and handed him the presidency.
Medvedev joined Putin's staff and ran his first election campaign in 2000.
Promoted to chief of staff in 2003, Medvedev - who presents himself as a champion of free markets - toed the line during the trial of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, which sent shock waves through the business community and heralded a new era of state intervention in the economy.
Khodorkovsky's trial and the dismantling of his oil company, Yukos, were seen as a Kremlin campaign to punish the billionaire for challenging Putin and to consolidate control over the industry. Medvedev helped Putin end the popular election of governors and pass other laws strengthening the Kremlin's control over politics in the name of security after the deadly Beslan school seizure in 2004.
In 2005, Putin named Medvedev first deputy prime minister.
|
