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Dmitry Medvedev

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Dimitri "Gazprom-Guy" Anatolyevich Medvedev

Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев
Dimitri Medvedev on Seliger (2007)
First Vice Premier of Russia
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 November 2005
Serving with Sergei Ivanov
PresidentVladimir Putin
Prime MinisterViktor Zubkov
Preceded byNew Post
Personal details
Born150px
(1965-09-14) September 14, 1965 (age 59)
Leningrad, Soviet Union
Died150px
Resting place150px
NationalityRussian
Political partyEndorsed by four political parties; United Russia, Fair Russia, Agrarian Party and Civilian Power; but not a member of any party[1]
SpouseSvetlana Vladimirovna Medvedeva née Linnik (m. 1989)
Relations
Childrenson: Ilya Dmitrievich Medvedev (b. 1996)
Parent
  • 150px
Residence(s)Moscow, Russia
Alma materPhD in private law, Leningrad State University, 1990
Occupation
WebsiteTemplate:Ru icon Official website

Dimitri "Dmitry" Anatolyevich Medvedev (Russian: Дми́трий Анато́льевич Медве́дев (IPA: [ˈdmʲitrʲə̟j.ɐnɐˈtolʲjə̟vʲə̟ʧʲ.mʲɪˈdvʲedʲəf]) listenⓘ; born September 14, 1965 in Leningrad) is a Russian politician, businessman, and lawyer. He is a candidate in the Russian Presidential elections of 2008, and is expected by observers to become the next Russian president.[4]

He was appointed first deputy prime minister of the Russian government on November 14, 2005. Formerly Vladimir Putin's chief of staff, he is also the Chairman of Gazprom's board of directors, a post he has held (for the second time) since 2000. On December 10, 2007, he was informally endorsed as a candidate for the upcoming presidential elections by the largest Russian political party, United Russia, and officially endorsed on December 17, 2007. Medvedev's candidacy is supported by incumbent president Vladimir Putin and pro-presidential parties.[5] An opinion poll by Russia’s independent polling organization, the Levada Center[6], conducted over the period December 21-24, 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.[7][8][9] A technocrat and political appointee, Medvedev has never held elective office.

Early life

Medvedev was born to a family of university teachers and raised in Kupchino, a proletarian district of Leningrad.[10]

He graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987 (together with Ilya Yeliseyev, Anton Ivanov, Nikolay Vinnichenko and Konstantin Chuychenko) and in 1990 got his PhD in private law from the same university. Anatoly Sobchak, an early democratic politician of the 1980s and 1990s, was one of his professors, and Medvedev later participated in Sobchak's successful Saint Petersburg mayorial campaign.[11] In 1990 he worked in Leningrad Municipal Soviet of People's Deputies. Between 1991 and 1999 he worked as a docent at his old university, now renamed Saint Petersburg State University.[12] In 1991 - 1996 Medvedev also worked as a legal expert for the Committee for External Relations of the Saint Petersburg Mayor's Office under Vladimir Putin.

In November 1993, Medvedev became the legal affairs director of Ilim Pulp Enterprise, a St. Petersburg-based timber company. In 1998, he was elected a member of the board of directors of the Bratskiy LPK paper mill. He worked for Ilim Pulp until 1999.

Political career

In November of 1999 he became one of several St. Petersburgers brought by Vladimir Putin to top government positions in Moscow. In December of the same year he was appointed deputy head of the presidential staff.

Medvedev (right) meeting US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman.
File:Tadic and Medvedev.jpg
Boris Tadić, President of Serbia, and Dimitri Medvedev inside Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade.

Dimitri Medvedev became one of the politicians closest to President Putin, and during the 2000 elections he was head of the presidential election campaign headquarters. From 2000 to 2001, Medvedev was chair of Gazprom's board of directors. He was then deputy chair from 2001 to 2002. In June of 2002, Medvedev became chair of Gazprom's board of directors for a second time. In October 2003, he replaced Alexander Voloshin as presidential chief of staff. In November 2005, he was appointed by President Vladimir Putin as First Deputy Prime Minister, First Deputy Chairman of the Council for Implementation of the Priority National Projects attached to the President of the Russian Federation, and Chairman of the Council's Presidium. A mild-mannered person, Dmitry Medvedev is considered to be a moderate liberal pragmatic, an able administrator and a loyalist of Putin.[13][14]

2008 Presidential Elections

Following his appointment as First Deputy Prime Minister, many political observers expected him to be nominated as Putin's successor for the 2008 presidential elections. Sergey Ivanov, the other Deputy Prime Minister, was seen as his main rival. When Viktor Zubkov became Prime Minister in late Summer 2007, many observers also counted him as a possible successor to Putin. However, on December 10, 2007, President Putin announced that Medvedev was his preferred successor. Four parties supporting Putin also declared Medvedev to be their candidate to the post - United Russia, A Just Russia, Agrarian Party of Russia and Civilian Power.[15] United Russia held its party congress on December 17, 2007 where by secret ballot of the delegates, Medvedev was officially endorsed as their candidate in the 2008 presidential election.[16] He formally registered his candidacy with the Central Election Commission on December 20, 2007 and said he will step down as chairman of Gazprom, since under the current laws, the president is not permitted to hold another post.[17] Sources close to Gazprom and Medvedev have told the Vedomosti newspaper that Medvedev may be replaced by Putin at Gazprom.[18]His registration was formally accepted as valid by the Russian Central Election Commission on January 21, 2008.[19]

It has been long believed by political analysts that Putin's choice of a successor will coast to an easy election-day victory, as pre-election opinion polls have indicated that a substantial majority of potential voters will back Putin's chosen candidate for president.[20] In his first speech since he was endorsed, Medvedev announced that, as President, he would appoint Vladimir Putin to the post of prime minister to head the Russian government.[21] Although constitutionally barred from a third consecutive presidential term, such a role would allow Putin to continue as a national leader[22] (the constitution would also allow him to return to the presidency later if he so chose). Some analysts have been quick to point out that such a statement shows that Medvedev recognizes that he would only be a figurehead president.[23] Putin has pledged that he would accept the position of prime minister should Medvedev be elected president. Although Putin has pledged not to change the distribution of authority between president and prime minister, many analysts are expecting a shift in the center of power from the presidency to the prime minister post should Putin assume the latter under a Medvedev presidency.[24] Election posters have portrayed the pair side-by-side with the slogan "Together we will win" ("Вместе победим").[25] The poster depicts both politicians as the same height, yet Medvedev is 10cm shorter than Putin.[26]

In January 2008 Anders Åslund assessed the situation that had evolved in the Kremlin after Medvedev's nomination as highly fractious and fraught with a coup d'état on the part of the siloviki clan — "a classical pre-coup situation".[27][28]

In January 2008, Medvedev launched his presidential campaign with stops in the regions.[29]

Awards

In December 2005 Medvedev was named Person of the Year by Expert magazine, an influential and respected Russian business weekly. He shared the title in 2005 with Alexei Miller, CEO of Gazprom.

Personal life

Dimitri Medvedev is married and has a son named Ilya (b. 1996). His wife, Svetlana Vladimirovna Medvedeva née Linnik, was both his childhood friend and school sweetheart. They wed several years after their graduation from secondary school in 1982.[30] Medvedev is 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) and which is regarded as "brilliant" by many civil law scholars.[31] 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 coauthor 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[32], which went into effect on July 27, 2004, from multiple perspectives - scholarly, jurisprudential, practical, enforcement- and implementation-related.[33]

Medvedev has often represented himself as a devoted fan of hard rock, listing Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin as his favourite bands. He is a collector of their original vinyl records and has previously said that he has collected all of the recordings of Deep Purple.[34][35] As a youth, he made endless copies of their songs,[citation needed] although these bands were then on the official state-issued blacklist.

Medvedev stands 162 centimetres (5'4") in height.[36]

Despite a busy schedule, he always reserves an hour each morning and again each evening to swim[35] and lift weights. He swims 1,500 meters (approximately 0.93 miles), twice a day. He also jogs, plays chess, and practices yoga. Among his hobbies are reading the works of Mikhail Bulgakov, and following his hometown professional soccer team, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.[37]

He keeps an aquarium in his office and cares for his fish himself.[38]

He is a fan of an Internet slang dialect common among Russian youth, Olbanian (Russian: олбанский язык, transliteration: olbansky yazyk), and has said he believes it should be studied in schools to promote greater literacy in the Internet and modern culture in Russia.[39][40][41][42] He has said he believes in the legitimacy of alternative languages used on the Internet.

References

  1. ^ First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev Endorsed for the Next President’s Post, Voice of Russia, December 10, 2007.
  2. ^ The three main religions in Russia support Medvedev for president Interfax, December 10, 2007.
  3. ^ Putin picks deputy premier as successor, Los Angeles Times, December 11, 2007.
  4. ^ The pseudoelection. The Economist Jan 31st 2008.
  5. ^ Putin sees Medvedev as successor BBC News
  6. ^ Yuri Levada, The Times, November 21, 2006.
  7. ^ 27.12.2007. Последние президентские рейтинги 2007 года, The Levada Center, December 27, 2007. (In the same poll, when presented with the question of who they would vote for without a list of potential candidates, only 55% of those polled volunteered that they would vote for Medvedev, but another 24% said that they would vote for Putin. However, it should be noted that Putin is constitutionally ineligible for a consecutive presidential term.)
  8. ^ Poll says Putin's protege more popular than president, Russian News & Information Agency, December 27, 2007.
  9. ^ Putin's Chosen Successor, Medevedev, Starts Campaign (Update2), Bloomberg.com, January 11, 2008.
  10. ^ Buckley, Neil (December 11, 2007). "Medvedev's liberal outlook likely to cheer western states". Financial Times. Retrieved 2007-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ The Democratic Roots of Putin's Choice Washington Post, December 11, 2007
  12. ^ Levy, Clifford J.; p. A18
  13. ^ Special Report: Russia's Tectonic Shift Stratfor
  14. ^ After Putin, Who? Business Week
  15. ^ Template:Ru icon Дмитрий Медведев выдвинут в президенты России Lenta.ru
  16. ^ United Russia endorses D Medvedev as candidate for presidency ITAR-TASS, December 17, 2007.
  17. ^ Medvedev Registers for Russian Presidency, Will Leave Gazprom,Bloomberg, December 20, 2007.
  18. ^ Putin may become Gazprom chairman, Reuters, December 21, 2007.
  19. ^ Template:Ru icon О регистрации Дмитрия Анатольевича Медведева кандидатом на должность Президента Российской Федерации, Decision No. 88/688-5 of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, January 21, 2008.
  20. ^ Putin Anoints Successor To Russian Presidency Washington Post, December 10, 2007.
  21. ^ Speech by Dimitri A. Medvedev, New York Times, December 11, 2007
  22. ^ Drive Starts to Make Putin 'National Leader' The Moscow Times, November 8, 2007
  23. ^ Medvedev: Putin should be Russia's prime minister USA Today, December 11, 2007
  24. ^ Putin seeks prime minister's post Associated Press, December 17, 2007.
  25. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7136556.stm
  26. ^ Wiadomosci, shown on TVP1 (Poland) on 1 March 2008
  27. ^ Purge or Coup? by Anders Åslund The Moscow Times January 9, 2008.
  28. ^ Putin's Three-Ring Circus by Anders Åslund The Moscow Times December 14, 2008.
  29. ^ Putin's successor dismisses fears of state "grab", Reuters, January 17, 2008.
  30. ^ Template:Ru icon Из школы, где учился Дмитрий Медведев, похищены его фото Factnews.ru
  31. ^ Medvedev Gets Thumbs Up From Hometown School, The St. Petersburg Times, December 14, 2007.
  32. ^ Template:Ru icon Законы РФ / Федеральный закон от 27 июля 2004 г. N 79-ФЗ "О государственной гражданской службе Российской Федерации" (с изменениями от 2 февраля 2006 г., 2 марта, 12 апреля, 1 декабря 2007 г.), Garant Database of Laws with Commentary.
  33. ^ Template:Ru icon Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, Ozon.ru
  34. ^ Russian 'bear' who loves Black Sabbath set to succeed Putin RIA Novosti
  35. ^ a b Putin's Purple reign man Guardian Unlimited, December 10, 2007
  36. ^ Template:Ru icon Найти преемника и обезвредить, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, December 18, 2007.
  37. ^ Nicholas II, FC Zenit, Black Sabbath - Medvedev's favorite things, ITAR-TASS, December 11, 2007.
  38. ^ Baby-faced Dmitry Medvedev keeps fish tank in his office and listens to Black Sabbath, Pravda, December 12, 2007.
  39. ^ A Soft-Spoken, 'Smart-Kid' Lawyer, The Moscow Times, November 2, 2007.
  40. ^ Template:Ru icon Дмитрий Медведев: учите олбанский!, Lenta.ru, March 5, 2007.
  41. ^ Template:Ru icon Превед, Медвед, Polit.ru, December 18, 2007.
  42. ^ Medvedev palatable to Russian liberals and western states, Financial Times, December 11, 2007.

Additional Sources

  • Levy, Clifford J. (Dec. 11, 2007) Putin Backs a Young Loyalist As Hic Choice to Follow Him. The New York Times. New York, New York
  • White, Gregory L.; Osborn, Andrew; Cullison, Alan (Dec. 11, 2007) Putin Chooses Young Loyalist As Successor. The Wall Street Journal, New York, New York.
  • Umland, Andreas (Dec. 17, 2007) The Two Towers of Future Russia: The Rise of Dmiry Medvedev and the Re-Configuration of Post-Soviet Politics. Russia Profile. Moscow. [1]
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Preceded by Chairman of the Russian presidential administration
2003 – 2005 		Succeeded by

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