MOSCOW (AFP) — Dmitry Medvedev takes over the Russian presidency Wednesday in the shadow of his mentor Vladimir Putin, whose central role at a glittering Kremlin ceremony will underline his intention to retain major power as prime minister.
The inauguration of Russia's third president in the turbulent 17 years since the Soviet collapse was set to take place before about 2,400 guests in the Kremlin palace, starting at midday (0800 GMT), a presidential spokesman told AFP.
The brief but pomp-filled ceremony for Medvedev, 42, was to reflect the confidence of a Russian government riding an economic boom on the back of massive oil and gas exports.
Putin has overseen that boom in his eight-year rule while rolling back many of the democratic experiments of the 1990s, according to critics.
A rare anti-Kremlin rally late Tuesday was snuffed out in Moscow even before it began, with police detaining would-be protestors well ahead of the event and swamping the street where they had hoped to gather.
The rally was organised by The Other Russia, an opposition group headed up by chess legend turned leading anti-Kremlin campaigner Garry Kasparov, who had been expected to attend the protest.
The Other Russia said in a statement that some 70 people were detained, while the Moscow police in its turn admitted to 30 detentions.
For Medvedev, the inauguration marks the peak of an astonishing rise from obscurity as a Putin-era bureaucrat to commander-in-chief of a vast nuclear arsenal and leader of the world's largest energy producing country.
However the choreography will ensure that Medvedev and the man he is replacing share the moment, just as they will share power when Putin starts his new career -- probably Thursday -- as a prime minister with an unprecedented level of influence.
According to a presidential spokesman, events in the Kremlin start with the Russian flag, presidential standard and a copy of the constitution being carried through the ornate Georgievsky and Andreyevsky halls.
Putin, 55, was set to enter the hall, followed by Medvedev, the spokesman said. Then Putin would give a speech before handing Medvedev the chain of office.
Medvedev was then to give his own speech, take the oath of office, and be declared president by the head of the constitutional court.
But few believe Medvedev will be able to establish independence from his old boss, at least not in a hurry.
He campaigned for the March 2 presidential election exclusively on the promise to follow "Putin's plan" and when he gave his election-night victory speech on Red Square, Putin was at his side.
Medvedev's first important act will be to name Putin prime minister and the two -- who Russian newspapers dub the "tandem" -- will star at a Red Square military parade Friday featuring tanks and nuclear missiles.
Analysts also do not expect any quick reversal to Putin's stifling of political opposition.
During most of Putin's presidency prime ministers have been faceless figures with no scope for independent policies.
Putin has already made it clear that when he becomes premier this will change.
In a February speech, he described the prime minister's office as the "highest executive power in the country." The presidency, he indicated, was a more symbolic post as "guarantor of the constitution."
Two thirds of Russians believe Putin as prime minister will control president Medvedev, turning the traditional power structure on its head, according to an April poll by the Levada Centre.
Invited guests to the Kremlin inauguration include the government, parliament, and other members of Russia's political elite, which Putin has carefully moulded over the last eight years to ensure maximum loyalty.
However, no foreign leaders are invited to the inauguration, with countries represented at ambassador level only, the presidential spokesman said.
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