Number: RS20525
Title: RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: 2000
Authors: Stuart D. Goldman, Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division 
Abstract: Russian President Boris Yeltsin's resignation at the end of 1999 elevated his little-known Premier, Vladimir Putin, to Acting President and set the scene for a presidential election on March 26, 2000 that Putin won. There is uncertainty in Russia and the West as to what sort of leader Putin will be. Some view him as an authoritarian, others as a pragmatic reformer. There is evidence to support either view. The character and policies of post-Yeltsin Russia affect a variety of important U.S. political, military, and economic interests.
Pages: 6
Date: Updated March 24, 2000