The End Of Russia's Medvedev Era

Signs have emerged that Dmitri A. Medvedev, above, occasionally acted against the wishes of Vladimir V. Putin. Pool photo by Dmitry Astakhov

Putin’s Russia Hits The ‘Clear’ Button The Medvedev Era -- Washington Post

MOSCOW — Lately, it seems, no decree of Dmitri A. Medvedev is too small to overturn.

It started right after he surrendered the Russian presidency to Vladimir V. Putin. Mr. Putin reversed his predecessor’s decision to decriminalize slander, made just eight months earlier. He raised the retirement age for top officials to 70, foiling Mr. Medvedev’s attempt to “rejuvenate” Russia’s government by imposing an age limit of 60, or 65 in special cases.

On Thursday, lawmakers began the process of revisiting yet another modest change from Mr. Medvedev’s constrained presidency: his decision last year to end the practice of changing the time twice a year, moving Russia permanently to summer time. The bill’s sponsor did not mince words, saying Mr. Medvedev’s decision was “absolutely unacceptable for a huge part of” Russia.

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My Comment: When Medvedev was President, Putin always made sure that his interests were always taken care of by accommodating .... to a certain degree ... Medvedev. but as President he no longer feels obliged to accommodate Medvedev's concerns, and we now see it in how Medvedev is reacting. How long this relationship will last is anyone's guess .... but Medvedev has one big advantage over Putin .... he is much younger than Putin.