Early life and background
Dmitry Medvedev in 1967 at the approximate age of 2.
[edit]Business and political career before presidency
From 1991 to 1996, Medvedev worked as a legal expert for the International Relations Committee (IRC) of the
Saint Petersburg Mayor's Officeheaded by
Vladimir Putin. According to the research of critics of Putin's administration,
Yuri Felshtinsky and
Vladimir Pribylovsky, the committee was involved in numerous business activities including
gambling. The connection with gambling business was established through a municipal enterprise called
Neva Chance.
[12] The Committee was under investigation for illegal commercial operations by a St. Petersburg parliament committee.
[13][14][15][16][17][18]In November 1993, Medvedev became the legal affairs director of Ilim Pulp Enterprise, a St. Petersburg-based
timber company. This enterprise was initially registered as a limited liability partnership, and then re-registered as a closed joint stock company
Fincell, "50% of whose shares were owned by Dmitry Medvedev."
[12] In 1998, he was also elected a member of the
board of directors of the Bratskiy LPK
paper mill. He worked for Ilim Pulp until 1999.
[citation needed]
Medvedev with Vladimir Putin on 27 March 2000 after Putin's victory in the Presidential election the day before.
As part of his campaign against corrupt oligarchs and economic mismanagement in 2000, Putin appointed Medvedev Chairman of
Gazprom's
board of directors. Together with
Alexei Miller, Medvedev managed to put an end to the large-scale tax evasion and asset stripping that was going on in the company by the previous corrupt management.
[19] Medvedev then served as deputy chair from 2001 to 2002, becoming chair for the second time in June 2002. In October 2003, he replaced
Alexander Voloshin as presidential chief of
staff.
Often described as a mild-mannered person, Medvedev is considered to be a moderate liberal pragmatist, an able
administrator and a
loyalist of Putin.
[20][21][dated info] He is also known as a leader of "the clan of St.Petersburg lawyers", one of the political groups formed around Vladimir Putin during his presidency.
[12] Other members of this group are believed to include the co-owner of the Ilim Pulp Corporation
Dmitry Kozak, speaker of Russian Federation Council
Sergei Mironov,
Yuri Molchanov, and head of Putin's personal security service
Viktor Zolotov.
[12][edit]2008 presidential elections
Medvedev with Vladimir Putin.
Following his appointment as First Deputy Prime Minister, many political observers expected Medvedev to be nominated as Putin's successor for the 2008 presidential elections.
[22] There were other potential candidates, such as
Sergey Ivanov and
Viktor Zubkov, but on 10 December 2007, President Putin announced that Medvedev was his preferred successor. The announcement was staged on TV with four parties suggesting Medvedev's candidature to Putin, and Putin then giving his endorsement. The four pro-Kremlin parties were United Russia,
Fair Russia,
Agrarian Party of Russia and
Civilian Power.
[23] United Russia held its
party congress on 17 December 2007 where by secret ballot of the delegates, Medvedev was officially endorsed as their candidate in the 2008 presidential election.
[24] He formally registered his candidacy with the
Central Election Commission on 20 December 2007 and said he would step down as chairman of Gazprom, since under the current laws, the president is not permitted to hold another post.
[25] His registration was formally accepted as valid by the Russian Central Election Commission on 21 January 2008.
[26]Political analysts believed that Putin's choice of a successor would coast to an easy election-day victory, as pre-election
opinion pollsindicated that a substantial majority of potential voters would back Putin's chosen candidate for president.
[27] An
opinion poll by Russia's independent polling organization, the Levada Center,
[28] conducted over the period 21–24 December 2007 indicated that when presented a list of potential candidates, 79% of Russians were ready to vote for Medvedev if the election were immediately held.
[29][30][31] In his first speech after being endorsed, Medvedev announced that, as President, he would appoint Vladimir Putin to the post of
prime minister to head the
Russian government.
[32] Although constitutionally barred from a third consecutive presidential term, such a role would allow Putin to continue as an influential figure in Russian politics.
[33] The
constitution allows him to return to the presidency later. Some analysts have been quick to point out that such a statement shows that Medvedev recognizes that he would only be a figurehead president.
[34] Putin pledged that he would accept the position of prime minister should Medvedev be elected president. Although Putin had pledged not to change the distribution of authority between president and prime minister, many analysts expected a shift in the center of power from the presidency to the prime minister post when Putin assumed the latter under a Medvedev presidency.
[35] Election posters have portrayed the pair side-by-side with the slogan "Together We Win"
[36] ("
Вместе победим").
[2]In January 2008, Medvedev launched his presidential campaign with stops in the
oblasts.
[37] With preliminary results showing he would probably win the 2 March 2008 presidential election by a landslide, Medvedev vowed to work closely with the man who chose him for the job, Vladimir Putin.
[38] Vladimir Churov, Chairman of the Presidential Election Committee, was the friend of both Putin and Medvedev with whom they started to work back in the 1990s in Sobchak's administration in St. Petersburg. The Committee denied participation in elections to the opposition leaders Kasparov and Kasyanov using technical formalities in the election law previously adjusted to hinder the opposition election campaign. The three candidates that were allowed to participate were not considered dangerous for Medvedev and did virtually nothing to challenge him. Medvedev declined to participate in political debates with the other candidates.
In a campaign speech, Medvedev advocated private property, economic deregulation, low taxes, an independent judiciary, anti-corruption, and defending personal freedoms.
[39][40] His phrase "Freedom is better than non-freedom" said in Krasnoyarsk during his election campaign, was widely cited as a sign of liberal changes by some and ironically by others.
Medvedev was seen as generally more liberal than his predecessor, Vladimir Putin.
[41]Medvedev was elected President of Russia on 2 March 2008. According to the final election results, he won 70.28% of votes with a turnout of over 69.78% of registered voters.
The
fairness of the election was disputed by many western observers and officials. Andreas Gross, head of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) mission, stated that the elections were "neither free nor fair". Moreover, the few western vote monitors bemoaned the inequality of candidate registration and the abuse of administrative resources by Medvedev allowing blanket television coverage.
[42]Russian programmer Shpilkin, analyzed the results of Medvedev's election and came to the conclusion that the results were falsified by the election committees. However, after the correction for the alleged falsification factor, Medvedev still came out as the winner, although with 63% of the vote instead of 70%.
[43][edit]Presidency
On 7 May 2008, Dmitry Medvedev took an oath as the third President of the Russian Federation in a ceremony held in Kremlin Palace.
[47]After taking the oath of office and receiving a gold chain of double-headed eagles symbolizing the presidency, he stated: "I believe my most important aims will be to protect civil and economic freedoms....We must fight for a true respect of the law and overcome legal nihilism, which seriously hampers modern development."
[48] As his inauguration coincided with the celebration of the
Victory Day on 9 May, he attended the military parade at
Red Square and signed a decree to provide housing to war veterans.
[49][edit]Domestic policy
On 8 May 2008, Dmitry Medvedev appointed Vladimir Putin
Prime Minister of Russia. In September, the country was hit by the
2008 Russian financial crisis. Dmitry Medvedev attributed the decline in the Russian stock market to the impact of the
liquidity crisis in the United Statesand contended that the crisis in Russia had little if anything to do with internal problems in its economy and government policies. He ordered the injection of large funds from the state budget into the markets to stabilize the situation.
[50]On 10 March 2009, Medvedev signed the
presidential decree to reform the civil service system between 2009-2013 as part of his drive against corruption. The main direction of reforms include establishing a new system to manage the civil service, introducing effective technology and modern methods of human resources operations, and increasing the efficiency and professionalism of civil servants.
[52]Medvedev on 8 May 2009, proposed to the legislature and on 2 June signed into law an amendment whereby the chairperson of the
Constitutional Court and his deputies would be proposed to the parliament by the president rather than elected by the judges, as was the case before.
[53]Medvedev has named technological innovation one of the key priorities of his presidency. In May, 2009, Medvedev established the
Presidential Commission on Innovation, which he will personally chair every month. The commission comprises almost the entire Russian government and some of the best minds from academia and business.
[55] Medvedev has also said that giant state corporations will inevitably be privatized, and although the state had increased its role in the economy in recent years, this should remain a temporary move.
[56]Just like Prime Minister Putin few days earlier, on 15 September Medvedev announced that he might stand for presidency again in 2012, but stressed that he would not challenge the former and that they would have to find an agreement. During the same speech he approved of the 2004 abolition of direct popular elections of
regional leaders, effectively in favor of their appointment by the Kremlin, and added that he didn't see a possibility of a return to direct elections even in 100 years.
[59][60]In August 2009, Medvedev promised to break the near-monopoly of ruling party United Russia over the political system, stating that "New democratic times are beginning". On 11 October 2009, regional elections were won by United Russia with 66% of the vote. Medvedev stated that this proved the party's moral and legal right to run the regions. But according to
Liliya Shibanova, head of independent poll watchdog
GOLOS Association, "political competition is practically zero". Pro-Western opposition parties claimed the playing fields were uneven.
[61][62][63] On 26 October 2009, the First Deputy Chief of
Staff Vladislav Surkov, warned that democratic experiments could result in more instability and that more instability "could rip Russia apart".
[64] On November 6, 2010, Medvedev vetoed a recently passed bill which restricted antigovernment demonstrations. The bill, passed on October 22, notably prohibited anyone who had previously been convicted of organizing an illegal mass rally from seeking permission to stage a demonstration.
[65]In late November 2010, Medvedev made a public statement about the damage being done to Russia's politics by the dominance of the
United Russia party. He claimed that the country faced political stagnation if the ruling party would "degrade" if not challenged; "this stagnation is equally damaging to both the ruling party and the opposition forces." In the same speech, he said Russian democracy was "imperfect" but improving.
BBC Russian correspondents reported that this came on the heels of discontent in political circles and opposition that the authorities, in their view, had too much control over the political process.
[66][edit]Economy
In October, 2009, Medvedev stated that he didn't wish the oil price to return back to the record levels seen in 2008. Instead, he said a price between $80 and $90 a barrel would be fair. "Russia has no interest in an endlessly high oil price. If it were to cost that much, we’d never change the structure of our economy... We haven’t done anything in the last 10 years because oil kept rushing higher and higher."
[67]In November 2010, on his annual speech to the
Federal Assembly Medvedev stressed for greater privatization of unneeded state assets both at the federal and regional level, and that Russia's regions must sell-off non-core assets to help fund post-crisis spending, following in the footsteps of the state's planned $32 billion 3-year asset sales. Medvedev said the money from privatisation should be used to help modernise the economy and the regions should be rewarded for finding their own sources of cash.
[68][69][edit]Internal Security
Medvedev said on many occasions that the Internal Ministry (responsible for Police) should become more effective. On 6 September 2009, he signed a
decree abolishing the federal Interior Ministry’s department for the fight against organized crime and terrorism (DBOPiT), along with the corresponding Interior Ministry units in the federal districts and the regional anti-organized crime departments (UBOPs); and on their basis he created new units tasked with fighting extremism. Under the decree, anti-organized crime functions will be transferred to the Interior Ministry’s criminal investigation and anti-economic crime departments.
[70][edit]Education
President Medvedev initiated new policy called “Our New School” and instructed the government to present a review on the implementation of the initiative every year.
[71][edit]Foreign policy
- Fundamental principles of international law are supreme.
- The world will be multipolar.
- Russia will not seek confrontation with other nations.
- Russia will protect its citizens wherever they are.
- Russia will develop ties in friendly regions.
In his address to the parliament on 5 November 2008 he also promised to deploy the
Iskandermissile system and radar-jamming facilities in
Kaliningrad Oblast to counter the
U. S. missile defence system in Eastern Europe.
[75] Following U.S. President
Barack Obama's announcement on 17 September 2009, that Washington would not deploy missile-defense elements in the Czech Republic and Poland, Dmitry Medvedev said he decided against deploying Iskander missiles in Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast.
[76][edit]Relationship with Putin
Although the Russian constitution clearly apportions the majority of power to the president, speculation has arisen over the question of whether it is Medvedev or
Prime Minister Vladimir Putinwho actually wields the most power.
[77] According to
The Daily Telegraph, "Kremlin-watchers" note that Medvedev uses the more formal form of 'you' (Вы, 'vy') when addressing Putin, while Putin addresses Medvedev with the more informal 'ty' (ты).
[77] According to a poll conducted in September 2009 by the
Levada Center in which 1,600 Russians from across Russia took part, 13% believed Medvedev held the most power, 32% Putin, and 48% both (7% failed to answer).
[78]However Medvedev has affirmed his position of strength, stating, "I am the leader of this state, I am the head of this state, and the division of power is based on this."
[79] Officially the Kremlin insists that the power of the Head of State still rests with the President Medvedev, not the Prime Minister.
As both Putin and Medvedev could run for President in the 2012 general elections, there is a view from some analysts that some of Medvedev's recent actions and comments are designed to separate his image from Putin's: examples noted by the
BBC included his dealings in late 2010 with NATO and America, possibly designed to show himself as being better able to deal with the Western nations,
[80] and comments in November about the need for a stronger opposition in Russian politics, to present himself as a moderniser. The BBC also noted that other analysts believe the split is exaggerated, and Medvedev and Putin are "trying to maximise support for the authorities by appealing to different parts of society".
[66] There is belief that the court verdict on former oligarch
Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his partner
Platon Lebedev, both of whom funded opposition parties before their arrests, will indicate whether or not Putin "is still calling all the shots".
[81][edit]Personal life
Medvedev is married and has a son named Ilya (born 1995). His wife,
Svetlana Vladimirovna Medvedeva, was both his childhood friend and school sweetheart. They married several years after their graduation from secondary school in 1982.
[82]During a visit to Serbia, Medvedev received the Order of St. Sava for "his contribution to the unity of the world Orthodoxy and his love to the Serbian people", it is the highest award of the Serbian Orthodox church.
[87]Despite a busy schedule, Medvedev always reserves an hour each morning and again each evening to swim
[84] and weight trains. He swims 1,500 meters (approximately one mile), twice a day. He also jogs, plays chess, and practices yoga. Among his hobbies are reading the works of
Mikhail Bulgakov and he is also a fan of the
Harry Potter books after asking
JK Rowling for her autograph when they met during the G-20 London Summit in April 2009.
[88] He is also a fan of football and follows his hometown professional
football team,
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.
[89] And since he has been living in Moscow he supports
PFC CSKA Moscow as well.
Medvedev is an avid amateur photographer. In January 2010, one of his photographs was sold at a charity auction for 51 million rubles (US$1,750,000), making it one of the most expensive ever sold.
[90]Medvedev's reported 2007 annual income is $80,000, and he reported approximately the same amount as bank savings. Medvedev's wife reported no savings or income. They live in an upscale apartment house "
Zolotye Klyuchi" in Moscow.
[citation needed]On the
Runet, Medvedev is sometimes associated with the
Medved meme, linked to
padonki slang, which resulted in many ironical and satirical writings and
cartoons that blend Medvedev with a bear. (The word
medved means "bear" in Russian and the surname "Medvedev" is a
patronymic which means "bear's"). Medvedev is familiar with this phenomenon and takes no offence, stating that the
web meme has the right to exist.
[93][94][95][96]Medvedev is competent in English, but due in part to protocol, he only speaks Russian in interviews.
[97]Medvedev stands 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) tall. According to journalist
Jon Henley, Medvedev was either the shortest world leader or the second shortest after
Kim Jong-il as of
2008. Both are 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) tall.
[98] Shortly before running for president, he lost weight and changed his hairstyle.
[99][edit]Publications
Medvedev wrote two short articles on the subject of his doctoral dissertation in Russian law journals. He is also one of the authors of a textbook on
civil law for universities first published in 1991 (the 6th edition of
Civil Law. In 3 Volumes. was published in 2007). He is the author of a textbook for universities entitled,
Questions of Russia's National Development, first published in 2007, concerning the role of the
Russian state in
social policy and
economic development. He is also the lead co-author of a book of legal commentary entitled,
A Commentary on the Federal Law "On the State Civil Service of the Russian Federation", scheduled for publication in 2008. This work considers the Russian
Federal law on the Civil service,
[100] which went into effect on 27 July 2004, from multiple perspectives — scholarly,
jurisprudential, practical, enforcement- and implementation-related.
[101]
On 13 April 2009, Medvedev gave a major interview to the
Novaya Gazeta newspaper. The interview was the first one he had ever given to a Russian print publication and covered such issues as civil society and the social contract, transparency of public officials and Internet development.
[104]
12:47 AM
Wikipedia
listen); born 14 September 1965) is the third and current President of the Russian Federation, inaugurated on 7 May 2008. He won the presidential election held on 2 March 2008 with 71.25% of the popular vote.
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