May 14, 2008, 16:57 GMT
Moscow - Putin one, Medvedev nil. That was the score Russia- watchers came up with Wednesday after months of guessing who will have the upper hand in Russia's new power tandem.
Valdimir Putin, Kremlin ruler of eight years, not only transplanted much of his powerful administration to work under him as prime minister, he also left a clean sweep of loyalists as his successor's advisors.
President Dmitry Medvedev, meanwhile, vowed that relations with his long-time mentor could only grow stronger, and shrugged at suggestions that Putin retained ownership of his old seat.
A caricature in the popular tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets Wednesday showed Putin wearing a crown and holding a cardboard Medvedev in front of him, but the cartoon bubble above his head, 'Cover me, Dima,' hinted at darker future.
Many analysts believe a division of power cannot last long in a country traditionally used to the strong-arm of one unchallenged leader.
'Without changes to the constitution, Medvedev holds all the key powers of the state and he can only grow into this role,' said Alexei Mukhin, an analyst with the Agency of Political Information.
But political scientist Masha Lipman of the Moscow Carnegie Centre highlighted the importance of the Putin appointments, saying Russian politics largely rely on hidden networks of personal loyalties.
The Kremlin administration holds enormous influence in a state where all the power is condensed in the executive, and it is unclear how Medvedev can advance his own policies without his own power base.
'Medvedev's pool of personnel is tiny compared to what Putin can rely on,' Lipman stressed.
The new Kremlin chief of staff, Sergei Naryshkin, is a long-time colleague of Putin from his native St Petersburg, who is suspected of having a KGB background like former boss.
Medvedev's Kremlin deputy has become three Putin loyalists: Vladislav Surkov, Putin's top strategist; Alexei Gromov, Putin's press chief of eight years; and Alexander Beglov, who used to head the presidential control directorate which surveys the implementation of Kremlin dictates.
When Putin threw all his administrative resources behind his chosen successor during the election campaign, many of the faces the Kremlin line up worked closely with Medvedev on his image and strategy.
Where will their allegiances will lie if the two leaders' personal ties prove too shallow a few months down the line?
Medvedev appointed only one ally, former classmate Konstantin Chuichenko, to his administration, while others of his circle were left out in the cold could be cause for disagreements, Mukin said.
The man Russian newspapers were calling number two in Putin's cabinet Wednesday - Igor Shubalov - is known to be close to Medvedev and worked as his deputy when the latter was chief of the presidential administration.
Observers also viewed the new head of the Federal Security Service, another St Petersburg native Alexander Bortnikov, as Medvedev's man, signalling the young president's hand over Russia's law enforcement agencies.
All-told, the raft of new ministers looked carefully designed to minimize competition between the presidential and cabinet staffs - for the moment at least to the Medvedev's, detriment since the only strategy he has voiced is the continuation of the 'Putin Plan.'
Putin has managed 'to preserve a role of setting the country's agenda in this way,' Lipman said, underscoring that Medvedev was not slated to address the parliament until autumn.
'Judging by the distribution of forces in the new government, Medvedev's first term in the Kremlin could turn out to be Vladimir Putin's third term,' wrote the business daily Vedemosti.
But Mukhin and other analyst warned that Putin's branding of the difficult reforms aimed at combatting inflation, corruption and improving social services ahead is precisely what could work to overturn the premier's popularity.
They say if Putin does not succeed in the tasks he set himself to improve the government's effectiveness, he will be held accountable, not Medvedev.
'People are inconstant - Putin's influence will progressively wane,' Mukhin said.
Veteran Russian journalist Mikhail Rostovsky poked fun at Western journalist betting Putin held the cards after the dust settle on the reshuffle Wednesday. 'He who laughs last, laughs longest,' he warned.
'The new Russian match of political chess is only beginning. It will be long, viscous, tangled and basically non-public. Its finale today is absolutely unpredictable.'
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