Think of Russia as the Toy that Children Don't Like to Share

PITY Dmitry Medvedev. He is just three weeks from becoming president, and the man he is meant to replace keeps stealing his limelight—and his power. Vladimir Putin formally steps down on May 7th. But he has already ensured that he will stay on as prime minister, and on April 15th he accepted the “invitation” to become leader of the ruling United Russia party, a political movement created by the Kremlin. “I am ready to take on the additional responsibility,” he told a specially-convened party congress.


Mr Putin spent the eight years since he was first elected president building up the powers of the office. He neutered the once-combative legislature and appointed prime ministers distinguished only by their loyalty: Mikhail Fradkov and, since last year, the even duller Viktor Zubkov.


Now Mr Putin is reversing the process, robbing the presidency of its omnipotence. As prime minister and party leader, he will have a tight grip on the country's finances and its regional elites. In theory, Mr Medvedev retains the constitutional right to sack him. But Mr Putin could change the constitution, given that he now leads a party that commands more than two-thirds of the seats in the Duma.


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Well the power battle continues. Putin is now stripping power from the role of President to assure that he is supreme leader when he changes positions. It will be interesting to see if any more changes take place in the next few months. It would also be interesting to hear what Medvedev has to say about his friends actions, and if he himself would rather have all of the control.

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