Putin Chooses Medvedev as Successor

President Vladimir Putin today ended months of speculation over who will succeed him next year by naming Dmitry Medvedev as his favoured candidate to win Russia's presidential elections.

Putin endorsed Medvedev this afternoon at a meeting with party leaders. The move virtually guarantees that Medvevev, a first deputy prime minister, will win a landslide victory in the election to be held on March 2.

"I have known him very closely for more than 17 years and I completely and fully support this proposal," Putin was shown as saying on state-run television at a meeting today with leaders of four parties who said they were backing Medvedev.