Kremlin ruler or Putin's puppet: Who is Medvedev?

By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) - People who know Dmitry Medvedev describe him as an intelligent and straightforward man who dislikes risk -- but does he have the political instincts to survive as Russia's next president?

He has been overwhelming favorite to win the March 2 presidential election ever since his mentor, the outgoing President Vladimir Putin, endorsed Medvedev to replace him.

Medvedev's personal qualities could suit Putin's purposes: he needs a reliable and loyal ally in the Kremlin job if he is to exert influence after his own presidential term ends.

Some ex-colleagues question though whether Medvedev has the cunning and ruthlessness to impose his own authority in the job.

"Dima is clever, clever enough to be president and he is tough, tough enough to be president," one former colleague from the 1990s told Reuters on condition his name was not published.

"But you have to have a sense, an emotional intelligence, a feeling for decisions in the Kremlin - Putin has it, (Former President Boris) Yeltsin definitely had it - does Dima? I don't know. We shall see," the former colleague said.

BUTTONED UP

If he wins the election, the 42-year-old Medvedev will become the youngest Russian leader since Russia's last emperor, Tsar Nikolai II. He will also be the first Russian leader with a background in private business.

In contrast to Putin, a former KGB spy accused of rolling back democracy, former lawyer Medvedev has stressed the importance of freedom and justice. He pleased markets by saying he wants to limit the Kremlin's role in big corporations.

But with a week to go before polling day, Medvedev's personality remains something of a mystery.

A man who himself says he is "buttoned-up" in public, the one-sided campaign has done nothing to expose his character. He declined to take part in television debates and the only one-on-one interview he gave was paid for by his campaign.

So who is Dmitry Medvedev? The most striking theme that emerged from interviews Reuters conducted with some of Medvedev's former colleagues and acquaintances is that -- at least until now -- he does not stand out from the crowd.

Mikhail Kasyanov, prime minister at a time when Medvedev worked for Putin in the Kremlin, struggled to recall anything of note about Medvedev.

"He is just a normal bureaucrat," shrugged Kasyanov, who became a fierce Kremlin opponent after he was sacked in 2004.

Even Medvedev's supporters do not have a lot to say about him. "He is a good guy, just a good guy," said one source close to the Kremlin. "He does what he says he will."