Medvedev sworn in as Russia's president, appoints ex-President Putin as his premier

The most remarkable thing about the inauguration of President Dmitry Medvedev wasn't the booming cannons, the goose-stepping guards and the glittering czarist hall where Russia's elite gathered for the hushed ceremony.

What was most impressive, perhaps, was that Wednesday's swearing-in marked a rare constitutional transfer of power in a country where regime change has often resulted from illness, political unrest or violence.

Some credit the policies of former President Vladimir Putin _ who presided over the rollback of democratic rights, an expansion of state control of the media and a crackdown on independent civic groups during his eight years in office _ with Russia's stable political environment.

But Medvedev has promised that as president he will strengthen democracy, and he hinted at reducing conflicts with the West, raising the hopes of those who want Russia to shift course.

On Thursday, Putin is expected to become Medvedev's prime minister and, by most accounts, will rule Russia jointly with the new president. Both Medvedev and Putin have dismissed concerns that the two might clash.

However, Wednesday's ceremony in the glittering Andreyevsky Hall of the Kremlin Grand Palace, which overlooks the Moscow River, only emphasized the apparent contradictions between the new 42-year-old president and Putin, 55, his premier-in-waiting.

While Medvedev spoke of economic and democratic development after taking the oath of office, Putin said in his own brief remarks that the Russian people "have many times defended their own path and their sovereignty."

The language echoed Putin's past allegations that Western democracies are trying to impose their political system on Russia as part of a campaign of surrounding and weakening the country.

Under the Russian constitution, the presidency has sweeping powers. But the powers of the prime minister's office are elastic, and Putin appears poised to expand them. He also has assumed the chairmanship of the United Russia party, which dominates politics from the municipal level to the parliament.

The new premier is expected to have increased authority over governors and regional leaders. According to Russian press reports, Putin will have 11 deputies compared to the five who served his predecessor, Viktor Zubkov.

In addition, many analysts expect Medvedev to defer to Putin, his longtime mentor, on important decisions _ at least during Medvedev's first few months in office.

Putin has vowed to remain prime minister as long as he is needed. There is speculation he sees the job as a transitional post, with some expecting him to retire from politics but other predicting he will someday return to the presidency. Term limits required him to give up that post after two consecutive terms.

Several times, Putin loyalists pleaded with him to support a change in the constitution that would permit him to remain president. But he rejected those entreaties, saying he would respect the constitution he inherited.

"Eight years ago when I was sworn in as Russian president for the first time, I pledged to work openly and honestly, to loyally serve the people and the state," he said during the inauguration ceremony. "I did not break my pledge!"

Russia's major television networks broadcast live coverage of the transfer of power, which featured goose-stepping young guards resplendent in blue uniforms and high-peaked caps and a 30-gun salute by a battery near the high Kremlin walls.

Shortly after noon, Medvedev strode up a red carpet and took the oath of office. The brief statement included a pledge "to protect the rights and liberties of every citizen."

Later in a speech, Medvedev declared that "human rights and freedoms ... are deemed of the highest value for our society and they determine the meaning and content of all state activity."

The new president, who worked as Putin's assistant in St. Petersburg City Hall in the 1990s, inherits a robust economy that has experienced a decade of rapid growth thanks to high world prices for Russia's oil, natural gas and other commodities.

But he must also grapple with double-digit inflation, tight credit markets overseas and the possibility that the price of natural resources will not grow as fast as they did under Putin.

Medvedev promised in his speech to modernize industry and agriculture, encourage the development of new technologies and attract investment. He also pledged to keep Russia open to the rest of the world and to participate in "constructive and equal dialogue" with other nations.

Putin, 55, endorsed Medvedev as his successor in December, rallying the Kremlin and the United Russia party behind his candidate. Medvedev was elected March 2 with just over 70 percent of the votes.

Medvedev's victory was aided by Russia's major TV networks, which are all formally or informally controlled by the state and lavished coverage on Medvedev while paying little attention to his challengers.

Many voters said they were pressured by employers and government officials to support the Kremlin favorite, and there were allegations of ballot stuffing and other irregularities. The leader of the main European election monitoring mission said the vote was neither free nor fair.

Despite Medvedev's vows to protect democracy, anti-government demonstrations were prohibited, broken up or harassed by police both before and after his election. Police detained dozens of anti-Kremlin protesters Tuesday as they tried to stage a rally.

State-owned Channel One television provided elaborate coverage of Wednesday's event, broadcasting sweeping aerial shots of the Kremlin's crenelated walls, its cluster of gilded onion domes and the cloistered courtyards where ranks of blue-uniformed soldiers waited for the arrival of Medvedev.

Television viewers watched the progress of the black Mercedes Pullman limousine carrying Medvedev through the deserted streets of the city center _ evidence of the high level of security for the inauguration.

The president-elect was driven along the banks of the Moscow River, up into Red Square and through the Kremlin's Spassky Gate, with its famous clock tower facing St. Basil's Cathedral.

Later, the crowded Andreyevsky Hall, with its huge doors and intricate chandeliers, shimmered with gold leaf and bright television lights as Medvedev was sworn in.