Dmitry Medvedev(메드베데프 후보)

메드베데프후보- 푸틴의 고향·대학(상트페테르부르크) 후배인 메드베데프는 1990년 푸틴이 이 대학 대외관계위원장으로 근무할 당시 법학부 교수로 보좌를 하면서 첫 인연을 맺었다. 2000년 대선 때에는 푸틴 진영의 선거대책본부장으로서 푸틴의 승리를 이끌었다. 2005년 제1부총리에 발탁되면서 푸틴 대통령이 국정과제로 내세운 보건·주택 등 민생경제를 맡아 왔다. 아울러 러시아 국영 천연가스기업인 ‘가즈프롬’의 사장직도 겸해왔다

 

 

Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin's choice for president in 2008, is seen as one of the economic liberals in President Vladimir Putin's entourage.

His master's voice? Dmitry Medvedev with President Putin

He is not only a first deputy prime minister, but also chairman of Russia's enormous state-run gas monopoly, Gazprom.

Mr Medvedev, 42, trained as a lawyer in Leningrad - now St Petersburg. The son of a professor, he became an assistant professor in his own right at St Petersburg State University in the 1990s.

While there, he became involved in the city council and joined Vladimir Putin's external affairs team as an expert consultant working for the mayor. It was a key period in Russia's transition from communism.

Putin insider

Endorsing his nomination as presidential candidate, Mr Putin said "I have known him for more than 17 years, I have worked with him very closely all these years".

"Together we will win!" emphasises Mr Putin's continuing role

Mr Medvedev had been seen as one of several potential candidates to succeed Mr Putin. Unlike Vladimir Putin, he had no background in either the Soviet KGB or its successor, the Federal Security Service (FSB).

Mr Putin, who headed the FSB, was chosen as a successor by the late President Boris Yeltsin, and it was not long before Mr Medvedev followed him to the Kremlin, to serve as deputy chief of staff.

We are well aware that no non-democratic state has ever become truly prosperous Dmitry Medvedev Russian First Deputy PM

In 2000, Mr Medvedev took charge of Vladimir Putin's presidential election campaign and in October 2003 he was appointed Kremlin chief of staff.

Mr Putin, in turn, has played an important role in Mr Medvedev's presidential campaign, with both men featuring in an election poster alongside the slogan: "Together we will win."

During the campaign, Mr Medvedev decided not to take part in televised debates with other candidates, stating that it would give his rivals additional promotion.

What is not clear is whether or not he would wield the same degree of power as his predecessor, because of Mr Putin's decision to stand for Prime Minister.

Political experience

Almost from his arrival at the Kremlin, Mr Medvedev took an active role at Gazprom.

A visit to the Serbian prime minister enabled him not only to renew Moscow's support over Kosovo but also to sign a deal paving the way for the construction of a key gas pipeline.

Perhaps most important to his credentials as a presidential candidate was his promotion to the post of first deputy prime minister in charge of national projects.

RISE OF A KREMLIN INSIDER 1990-95: Consultant to St Petersburg mayor 1999: Kremlin deputy chief of staff 2000: Head of Vladimir Putin's election campaign 2002: Chairman of Gazprom 2003: Putin's chief of staff 2005: First Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of social programmes

Mr Medvedev oversaw major social initiatives in the areas of agriculture, health, education and efforts to boost Russia's low birthrate. He spearheaded measures to support foster families and develop pre-school education.

He also helped restructure the Kremlin's relations with powerful billionaire oligarchs who made fortunes in the Yeltsin years.

In January 2007 he told the World Economic Forum in Davos: "We aim to create big Russian corporations and will back their foreign economic activities.

"But the role of the state certainly should not involve telling any particular company or sector how to carry out diversification.

"Even if the state retains a controlling interest... we aim to create public companies with a substantial share of foreign investment in their capital."

He is known to dislike labels, considering ideology harmful, and is not a member of any political party.

But he does consider himself a democrat: "We are well aware that no non-democratic state has ever become truly prosperous for one simple reason: freedom is better than non-freedom."

Private life

In an interview published a fortnight before the presidential election, Dmitry Medvedev told Russian news magazine Itogi that his ancestors included farm workers, a blacksmith and a hat maker.

Deep Purple perk: as a boy he developed a taste for British rock

He described growing up in a 40sq m (430sq ft) flat in Kupchino on the outskirts of St Petersburg, dreaming of buying jeans and Deep Purple and Pink Floyd records.

So it was something of a dream come true when Deep Purple played at the Kremlin in February 2008 at a concert to mark the 15th anniversary of the founding of Gazprom.

While still a teenager, he fell in love with his future wife, Svetlana.

"I lost interest in lessons. It was much more interesting to hang out with my future wife," he said. They have a son, Ilya.

Mr Medvedev also describes how he worked on a building site and as a street cleaner to help fund his studies at university. At the age of 23 he was baptised into the Russian Orthodox Church, a decision he said he took himself.

"From that moment, I believe, a new life started for me," he said.