MOSCOW — With presidential election results signaling a landslide victory, Dmitry Medvedev could have made a triumphant solo appearance Sunday.
But when he took the stage before 35,000 cheering people at a rainy Red Square, Vladimir Putin was right next to him — Russia’s widely popular president alongside his hand-picked successor.
Their appearance together didn’t just underline their close ties. It illustrated the one central question not already answered in an election that was never in doubt: How independent will Medvedev be once he is inaugurated May 7 and Putin becomes his prime minister as expected?
With ballots from 97 percent of Russia’s electoral precincts counted, Medvedev had 70 percent, according to the Central Election Commission. Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov had 18 percent, it said.
He is expected to rule in concert with his mentor, an arrangement that could see Putin calling the shots despite his constitutionally subordinate position as Russia’s prime minister.
Medvedev appeared to try to head off speculation about who would be in charge when he was asked in a news conference whether the president or prime minister would set foreign policy.
“By the constitution, the president determines foreign policy,” he responded.
Medvedev, 42, the youngest Russian ruler since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, is expected to heed Putin’s advice, continue his assertive course with the West, maintain state control over Russia’s mineral riches and freeze out real opposition movements.
“We will increase stability, improve the quality of life and move forward on the path we have chosen,” Medvedev said in the Red Square appearance. “We will be able to preserve the course of President Putin.”
The first test could be the July summit of Group of Eight leading industrialized nations: If Putin goes alone or accompanies Medvedev, that could signal his reluctance to relinquish control.
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