Medvedev Wins

Dmitry Medvedev, President Vladimir Putin's handpicked successor, won Russia's presidential election on Sunday in a landslide.

Medvedev won 69.6 percent of the vote, trouncing his three rivals, according to the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Centre poll.

Putin is expected to become prime minister, but still have a key role in the country. Many say Putin will use the new president to continue his policies.

Medvedev, 42, the first deputy premier and head of gas monopoly Gazprom, has promised to follow the policies of Putin, who is stepping down after two four-year terms.

Medvedev represents a new generation of post-Soviet politicians and unlike Putin, 55, he has no KGB or other security service background.

But analysts say that Medvedev will make few dramatic changes and could end up being little more than a puppet manipulated by his mentor.

Many opponents said the results were rigged.

Independent observers highlighted a stream of violations, however, saying people were pressured to vote, absentee voting was abused and monitors were refused access to polling stations.

Medvedev's nearest challenger was Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, with 17.2 percent, followed by populist nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky on 11.4 percent, the poll showed. The almost unknown Andrei Bogdanov got just 1.8 percent.

I hope Russia pulls through.