Medvedev wins election in Russia

Dmitri Medvedev, the hand-picked successor of current Russian President Vladimir Putin, scored an unsurprising victory in his bid for the Russian presidency.

Medvedev took 69 percent of the vote, with his closest rival, Gennady Zyuganov, at 18 percent.

Medvedev’s victory was essentially ordained; the Kremlin has used state-run media and staged political events to back the former aide to Putin.

How much power Medvedev will ultimately wield is an open question. While he will technically be the most powerful man in Russia, Vladimir Putin won election to parliament, where he will serve as prime minister. Putin will have a great deal of power in that role, and will also exert a great deal of influence on his protegé.