Medvedev wins Russian presidential election

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin's chosen candidate, is on course to win Russia's presidential elections by a wide margin, according to early official results and exit polls on Sunday evening.

Following are comments from politicians, economists and analysts:

LILIYA SHEVTSOVA, CARNEGIE THINK-TANK

The results are very much as expected partly because a big part of Putin's electorate is supporting the current status quo, and secondly because the state machine has learnt how to deliver the needed result and eliminate all alternatives.

But there are some unpleasant conclusions to be drawn by those in power. The fact that people are voting for a candidate who they don't know as a politician, whose program is unknown tells you a lot about the elections, which have become, if not a farce, then a certain ritual which cannot give you any guidance about the real mood of society.

No one knows how their (Putin and Medvedev) duo will really work. The tandem formula is going against the current mechanism of political decision-making...

IRINA YASINA, OPPOSITION POLITICIAN

If we speak about the Medvedev-Putin duo, a very important indicator will be if (deputy head of Putin's administration Igor) Sechin keeps his positions. If yes, then the only person who matters in this duo will be Putin, and Medvedev goes into brackets.

STANISLAV BELKOVSKY, HEAD OF INDEPENDENT NATIONAL STRATEGY

INSTITUTE

It seems that Medvedev will get fewer votes than Putin in 2004, so Putin's pride won't suffer... It is obvious that this (election) has nothing in common with democracy..."

SERGEI MITROKHIN, DEPUTY HEAD OF YABLOKO OPPOSITION PARTY

It will become clear in a couple of months whether Medvedev can be really independent... If he can, there might be confrontation...

NIKITA BELYKH, HEAD OF UNION OF RIGHTIST FORCES

It was the most predictable election in our country in the past 15 years.

I don't think there will be open confrontation (between Putin and Medvedev) but there will be a battle between those political forces and clans, which stand behind them".