May 7, 2008, 12:28 GMT
Moscow - Dmitry Medvedev was sworn in as Russia's third president pomp-filled event Wednesday and immediately secured the continued influence of his mentor and predecessor Vladimir Putin by naming him prime minister.
The one-two tandem splits the government between two leaders, an unprecedented situation that raises questions as to who will have final say over Russia's 1.3-trillion-dollar economy and nuclear might.
The politicians, tycoons and foreign leaders comprising the 2,400 VIP guests Wednesday were closely watching Medvedev's speech as an an indication of what is to come.
After a 32-gun salute marking his inauguration, Medvedev named 'civil and economic freedoms' as the country's main goals in a seeming departure from ex-KGB agent Putin's heavy-handed rule.
But despite his profiling as a liberal-minded lawyer in contrast with Putin's hawkish profile Medvedev also vowed Wednesday to continue on the path of Putin's policies.
Medvedev is indebted to Putin for his ascension from relative obscurity, something underscored by his nominating Putin as premier a mere two hours after the inauguration.
Wednesday's highly orchestrated ceremony and fast-forward power transition was a microcosm of what many see as the Kremlin's circumventing of democracy in order to manage Putin's retention of power.
Opening the Wednesday's anthem and military charged event, Putin said, 'It is imperative for everyone together to continue the course that has already been taken and has justified itself.'
The Kremlin said Putin would meet with parliamentary leaders Wednesday. Approval of his candidacy is virtually guaranteed as the head of Russia's dominant party in the vote scheduled Thursday.
Russia's beleaguered Communist part, nevertheless, said it would reject Putin's candidacy.
Though Putin leaves his successor a booming economy, critics charge his muscling forward of Russia's position on the world stage has caused confrontation and accuse him of curbing democratic and personal freedoms.
An anti-Putin protest late Tuesday was cancelled as police preemptively arrested activists and the authorities clamped down on the square where the meeting was to be held.
But Medvedev spoke in favour of human rights in his seven-minute speech Wednesday.
'Human rights and freedoms are of the highest importance for our society and determine the meaning and form of all state activity,' Medvedev said Wednesday.
He also acknowledged economic obstacles speaking out against corruption and 'legal nihilism.'
Medvedev's delayed entrance behind Putin down the red carpet Wednesday to the Kremlin's throne room was full of patriotic trimmings seemed a preview of Friday's victory day celebration.
Russian state television began live broadcasts of the hour-long event with a bird's eye view of the black-windowed limousines speeding down vacated boulevards to the Kremlin's ornate gates.
On Friday the Medvedev-Putin duo will preside together over a military parade of tanks, troops and jets streaming over Red Square to commemorate World War II with the largest show of strength since the end of the Soviet Union.
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