Backgrounder: Russia Presidential Election

Barred by the constitution from serving a third straight term in office Vladimir Putin will step down as Russia's president after Sunday's vote. Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, the current first deputy prime minister, is widely expected to succeed Putin. WILL BLACK has more.

For the last two months, Medvedev has crisscrossed Russia visiting factories and making speeches. He says this is part of his current duties.

Medvedev has refused to take part in any televised debates with the three other presidential candidates. But his popularity rating of almost seventy percent guarantees him a landslide victory.

Vyacheslav Nikonov, President Politika Foundation, said, "He was the Chief of Staff of the administration, he was Chairman of the board of directors of Gazprom for eight years, he was member of the National Security Council for years, and he was First Deputy Prime Minister responsible for social policies in the country. He is a very experienced politician and bureaucrat."

Medvedev has been in Putin's team since the president was first elected back in 2000.

With a low-key style that contrasts sharply with Putin's Medvedev has centralized power in the Kremlin... and presided over the longest Russian economic boom for a generation.

The result of the election appeared a foregone conclusion...once Putin supported Medvedev's candidacy in December of last year.

And many say that a vote for Medvedev is actually a vote for Putin.

When Vladimir Putin took office eight years ago, Russia was in a period of political turmoil and economic collapse. But Putin , then a little-known leader, vowed to change things.

During his presidency, Putin has delivered political calm and a 7 percent annual growth rate.

More importantly, the leader has ended a century of Western influence on Russia's internal development...And he also helped the country display its newfound confidence on the global stage.

The outgoing president has said he will retain influence as a future prime minister after Medvedev takes over as the head of state.

Xu Tao, reserch fellow China Inst. of Contemporary Int'l Relations, said, "Given Putin’s unprecedented popularity, it’s possible that part of the political power moves from the president to the prime minister after the systematic transformation. Actually, the country’s road to revival has been set in the so-called Putin era. So no matter who is Putin’s successor, what he should do is to follow Putin's way. "

A large campaign poster dominates the center of Moscow these days. It shows Putin and the man he has chosen to continue what he started. Many say that the Putin presidency may have ended, but the Putin era continues.