Putin confirmed as Russian PM

The Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, has confirmed Vladimir Putin as prime minister a day after his protege Dmitry Medvedev replaced him as president of the country.　Members of parliament voted 392-56 for Putin's appointment, with the communists the only party voting against.

In a speech at the Duma on Thursday, Putin said Russia should aim to be among the leading nations in the world in terms of living standards within 15 years.

He called for the "consolidation of political forces and solidarity of society" in Russia and said that "co-ordinated work by all branches of government" is imperative.

Will Putin be Medvedev's Russian doll?

Medvedev nominated Putin to be Russia's prime minister shortly after taking over as the country's president on Wednesday.　Putin has said he will work closely with the new president.　He will set up a new cabinet, which is expected to be broadly similar to one that was in place during his eight-year presidency.

Close partnership

Many Russians believe that Putin will still exercise formidable power despite no longer being the country's president.　He selected Medvedev as United Russia's candidate for a presidential election in March, which Medvedev won by a wide margin.

Medvedev was hand-picked by Putin to　become Russia's president 。Jonah Hull, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Moscow, said Putin would aim to boost the profile of the prime minister's office after its role was minimised during his presidential term.

"The potential is now there to create a system of two centres of power, with checks and balances between Putin and Medvedev - something that Russia, in its political system since the Soviet era, has not had," he said.

"[During his presidential term] Putin went out of his way to bolster his presidency and to create a top-down system of government in which the president was unchallenged and unchallengeable.

"There is going to be a certain amount of change in the power sharing arrangement - but there is not, if Putin is to be believed, going to be any change to the constitution."

Military show

Although Putin and Medvedev are political allies, some analysts have said that the partnership could be unstable.　After he won the presidency in March, Medvedev said only the president would determine foreign policy, but Putin has called the prime minister's office the "highest executive power in the country".

In his inaugural speech on Wednesday, Medvedev promised to bring greater "civil and economic freedom" to Russia.

He also said he would strive to ensure that the rule of law is upheld.

Shortly after he took the presidential office, Medvedev was presented with a briefcase containing controls for Russia's nuclear arsenal.　Both Medvedev and Putin will attend a military parade in Moscow's Red Square on Friday, where Russia's new Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles will be displayed.　The Victory Day parade is the biggest display of Russia's military might since the end of the Soviet era in 1991.

Putin work cannot be denied ! He is the man of the year ! Again if so....