AFP: Putin soon out of office but still in Power 29 February

Dmitry Medvedev swept to power in the first round of Russia's presidential election, with 70 percent of votes, according to an official count announced Monday. Vladimir Putin will cede him the office but not all power, as Medvedev has pledged to appoint him as prime minister and continue to collaborate closely.

Dmitry Medvedev Iis swept to power in the first round of Russia's presidential election, with 70 percent of votes, according to official results announced Monday. Vladimir Putin will cede him his office, but not all its power, as Medvedev has pledged to appoint him prime minister.

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Several thousand supporters of outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin staged a rally in Moscow on Wednesday, less than two weeks before parliamentary polls. The event was organised by the "Pro-Putin" movement which wants Putin to stay on in a leadership role, despite a constitutional bar on him holding the presidency more than twice in a row. An AFPTV report.

Polling stations in the Far East opened at 2000 GMT Saturday, in a vote pitting Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev against three challengers. Two thirds of Russia's 109 registered voters are expected to back Putin's chosen successor in the country's most predictable poll since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In the latest attack on the NATO-led force in Afghanistan this weekend, one soldier was killed and another wounded when their convoy hit a roadside bomb. This brings to 24 the number of Western troops killed in Afghanistan since January -- most of them slain in Taliban-led violence. It has been a deadly start to the year for the war-torn country, and some observers fear security is rapidly deteriorating. Foreign countries are now increasingly reluctant to commit their forces to the frontlines.

The opposition has accused 84-year-old Mugabe of employing election-rigging tactics in an attempt to stay in power and African observers say they detected fraud in the ballot. Mugabe, who accuses the West of sabotaging Zimbabwe's economy, expressed confidence he would be returned to office.

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The choice came days after Putin announced a plan to hold onto power after his term ends. Putin said that if his close ally, Dmitry Medvedev, wins next year's presidential vote, he would serve as Medvedev's prime minister.