President Dmitry Medvedev - Profile Biography Background

Dmitry Medvedev President

2008-01-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

President Medvedev will be in charge of state institutions and set Russia's foreign and domestic policies but will he differ in his policies from Putin or will he continue Putin's course of action? This is yet clear. He will chair the Security Council and the State Council much the same as Putin and it is hoped he can carry on Putin's work in bilateral relations with other European leaders as he is seen in Russia as a "liberal" who wants to intergrate Russia more fully into world affairs. The debate at the moment is whether Medvedev's liberal approach could be seen in Russia as weak in regards to the West or whether he will be able to push for Russian buisness interests abroad while bringing onside other world leaders over the next decade. The other issue is whether he has the same level of skills as Putin in bilateral negotiations but Putin obviously believes he does and has backed his campaign for president fully.
With the United States electing a new president we may see a new era of Russian and US relations and Medvedev has hinted that he wants to further improve international relationships while steadfastly working on Russian infrastructure to bring it up to world standards. We can expect a change in the world political map over the coming years.

Medvedev's domestic acheivements in housing and education are still ongoing and he has said these programs will be his main objective as president but he hopes to support Russian businesses more in the future to avoid the huge monetary leakages of the 1990's under Yeltsin.

While Medvedev has been labelled "the smart kid lawyer" and "softly spoken" and political commentators have said they have never heard him shout or lose his temper he is no doubt competent enough to deal with the heavy burdon of being Russian president but whether he becomes a confrontational leader or a diplomatic president is dependant on how he balances the wishes of the Russian people and leglislature with his foreign policy skills.

Medvedev to quit Gazprom

2007-12-22T13:58:00.000-08:00

Dmitry Medvedev has said he will quit his role of chairman of energy giant Gazprom if he is elected president of Russia in March 2008.

"As far as I am aware, any person who becomes head of state has no legal right to retain such a privilege," Medvedev told reporters.

Sergei Sobyanin 49, board chairman of state run Tvel nuclear power, will run his election campaign after he filed his registration at the Central Election Commission to get the ball rolling and announce to the world's waiting media.

Gazprom which provides a large percentage of the worlds energy is still state owned which may change as it looks to be floated on the New York stock exchange soon.

Putin officially supports Medvedev

2007-12-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

Vladimir Putin has announced he wants to become Russia's next Prime Minister in March 2008 when he hopes Dmitry Medvedev wins the elections to become Russian President.

Both Medvedev and Putin share the ideals of political stability and it is thought that Putin wants Medvedev to open up Russia more to market forces when they are favourable to Russia's interests in the next term.

Minister of Defense Sergei B.Ivanov a dominant siloviki, has proved he has good political and foreign diplomatic skills and can speak English well. Many Russians consider him conservative in home affairs but also more willing to create diplomatic diaglogue with the West. But it looks as if Putin's announcement has ended much of Ivanov's political ambitions judging by his recent comments on Russian Television.

Ivanov meets Rice

'' Medvedev's nomination puts an end to such speculations and some expectations. Now, everything is extremely clear and understandable,''

'' I am absolutely convinced that, if elected, he will be a successful president,''

'' I will calmly continue performing my duties set by the President as a member of the current government,'' he said adding, '' I believe that I am responsible for quite a serious set of issues. This is not only industry but also transport, communications, space, the Military-Industrial Commission and so on. There's enough work for me.''
Sergei B Ivanov

Putin himself was a relatively unknown candidate until he won the last presidential elections and it is thought that Dmitry Medvedev will follow this tradition into the Kremlin.

Sergei Sobyanin, formerly governor of the oil-rich Tyumen region is another possible candidate although he does have a KGB background. Sobyanin is considered a centralist in his political ideology but is not directly linked to any Kremlin faction which can be seen as advantagous in todays market orientated Russia. He differs from Medvedev in his theories about state control and free market policies favouring more state involvement.
There is no doubt that Putin's support of Medvedev makes him the clear favourite as things stand at the moment.

Dmitry Medvedev Russian Presidential elections 2008

2007-12-17T04:27:00.000-08:00

Dmitry Medvedev may succeed Putin as Russian President very soon in 2008.

The 42-year-old former lawyer Medvedev who had managed Putin's election success in 2000 and is now chairman of state energy giant, Gazprom.

Mr Medvedev is expected to win the March elections and become Russian president because of current president Putin's popular support throughout Russia with the bulk of the population.

"If the citizens of Russia trust Dmitry Medvedev and elect him the country's president I will be ready to chair the government," Putin told the United Russia conference.

"I don't have the slightest doubt that Putin... will keep using his enormous political and professional resources, his influence both in our society and in the world, for the benefit of Russia and its citizens," Mr Medvedev said in response.

Medvedev gave his word he would continue if elected to follow the political stratergies Mr Putin has implimented during his presidency to further Russia's economic growth and prosperity.

Mr Medvedev wants social and economic expansion to spread to all the people of Russia throughout every section of Russian society.

During his office as first deputy prime minister he worked on Russia's housing and education programs and health services.
Russia has made huge economic gains as a result of soaring international oil prices.

Dmitry Medvedev is considered a liberal in economic terms and has hinted at redirecting huge oil profits, made due to inflating oil prices worldwide, into health, housing and education all over Russia to rejuvenate much of the poorer parts of the country which need investment after many years of sporadic investment.

The son of a Professor he became a lawyer and then went on to become a professor at St Petersberg University where he got involved with council politics during the break up of the old Soviet Union in the 1990's. This is where he began working for Vladimir Putin external affairs staff as a consultant

There is no doubt that Putin considers Medvedev the right choice for Russia's next president in March 2008 and he has said "I have known him for more than 17 years, I have worked with him very closely all these years".

This puts Medvedev in a strong position to succeed Putin as president of Russia.

Another advantage that Medvedev has is that he has never been involved with the KGB or Federal Security Service (FSB) and so does not have the baggage that goes with this involvement. He is seen as a liberal forward looking academic hoping to integrate Russia more into world affairs in the future.

During the 2000 Russian elections Medvedev played a key role in the victory of Vladimir Putin becoming Kremlin cheif of staff in 2003. Becoming first deputy prime minister gave him knowledge of the main requirements of Russian infrastructure such as housing, eductation and health which many believe puts him in a good postion to understand best what needs to be done over the coming years.
Gazprom is about to be floated on the New York stock exchange due to it's rapid growth and oil prices worldwide.

He has suggested his aim is to utilise big Russian corporations abroad to prevent the billions released during Yeltsin's presidency continuing by backing Russian business more in the future.

In January 2007 he told the World Economic Forum in Davos: "We aim to create big Russian corporations and will back their foreign economic activities.

"But the role of the state certainly should not involve telling any particular company or sector how to carry out diversification."

"Even if the state retains a controlling interest... we aim to create public companies with a substantial share of foreign investment in their capital."

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Medvedev's approach is his dislike of rigid political ideologies which may seem fresh to many young Russians tired of left and right politics who just want happiness and prosperity for their
children and families and he calls himself a democrat.

"We are well aware that no non-democratic state has ever become truly prosperous for one simple reason: freedom is better than non-freedom."

Profile
Dmitry Medvedev has a wife Svetlana Vladimirovna Medvedeva and one son Ilya who was born in 1996 .

1990-95: Consultant to St Petersburg mayor
1999: Kremlin deputy chief of staff
2000: Head of Vladimir Putin's election campaign
2002: Chairman of Gazprom
2003: Putin's chief of staff
2005: First Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of social programmes

"We are well aware that no non-democratic state has ever become truly prosperous"

Dmitry Medvedev
Russian First Deputy PM

Dmitry Medvedev is 5 feet 4 inches in height and enjoys swimming and working out in the gym and listening to his favourite rock bands Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin and he has collected a large number of vinyl records of these bands over the years as a student.

Putin's backing of candidate Medvedev as his successor makes him a clear favourite to win the election in March 2008 without a doubt.

Medvedev has said he would also support Putin's role as Prime Minister, a role with less overall power, if Putin wishes to become Russia's Prime Minister and this is likely to lead to a new dynamic of power in Russian politics and the authority of President over Prime minister may shift somewhat.
Critics have suggested he lacks real experience for such high office and that his national programs so far have not created the wealth and prosperity promised but supporters believe he is fresh and dynamic and a break from the past been a team player, gently accommodating new ideas and highly academic in his approach. He certainly has the support of most young Russians who feel he represents them and their vision for Russia's optimistic future.

It is hoped by the rest of the world that a Medvedev presidency in Russia would integrate the country further into the world making Europe stronger both politically and economically.
We wait to see.