Will Russia's new president be his own man?

By Michael Stott - Analysis

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's next president will start off in a double act with his predecessor and mentor Vladimir Putin, but over time Dmitry Medvedev may evolve into a different leader.

Medvedev, a 42-year-old lawyer, won an easy victory in Sunday's presidential election and lost no time in appearing on stage together with his boss at a victory rock concert in Red Square, pledging a "direct continuation" of his policies.

Analysts say it remains to be seen whether that will be the case once Medvedev gets his hands on the levers of power and his fingers on Russia's nuclear trigger.

Putin himself was initially viewed as a safe option who could be easily manipulated by then-president Boris Yeltsin's inner circle when he was plucked from obscurity in 1999 and thrust into the presidency.

Within a year, he had changed direction dramatically, centralising control in the Kremlin, clamping down on free media and the opposition, and pursuing a hawkish line with the West.

Now Putin, a 55-year-old former KGB spy with a liking for martial arts and the military, has chosen a man from a different generation with a different style to succeed him after serving the maximum two consecutive terms allowed by the constitution.

Though Putin has said he will serve as Medvedev's prime minister, some analysts believe this could be more to help his protege find his feet than to control him as a puppetmaster.

Georgy Satarov, an adviser to Boris Yeltsin and head of the INDEM think tank, told Reuters: "I do not think that if this scheme (of Putin as PM under Medvedev) is implemented, it is intended for any long period of functioning."

"If in the beginning Putin heads the government, after... they are convinced that everything is stable, Putin will give that post to someone else."

Although both men have heavily emphasised continuity, their declarations of unity mask big differences of style.

Often dubbed the most liberal member of Putin's inner circle, Medvedev has no known security service background, enjoyed forbidden Western rock music during his youth and worked as a corporate lawyer before entering the government.

Putin, by contrast, was a career KGB official who served in East Germany and has never worked in the private sector.

When the new president's favourite band, rockers Deep Purple, were flown in last month to play at an anniversary concert for Russian gas giant Gazprom, Medvedev posed for pictures with the band afterwards, grinning broadly. Putin left during the interval and did not listen to the rockers at all.

And while Putin loves posing for tough-guy photos in military uniform and making macho statements in colourful slang, Medvedev prefers suits and cautiously worded, lawyerly speeches.

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