In what was largely a formality, Vladimir Putin was confirmed in office in the Russian presidential elections with 52.9% of the vote on March 26, 2000.

The result of the elections was a foregone conclusion. When Boris Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned from office on December 31, 1999, Putin, who had been prime minister since August 9, 1999, also took over the office of president as per the constitution.

Putin has now been in power for 25 years, taking a strategic approach to his rise to become the autocratic and undisputed ruler of Russia, even if he was not president for a few years.

As the Russian constitution at the time did not allow a president to rule for more than two consecutive terms, there was a vacancy in the elections on May 7, 2008.

Putin's confidant Dmitry Medvedev, former Chairman of the Gazprom Supervisory Board, replaced Putin in office. One day later, Russia's parliament, the Duma, elected Putin as the new head of government with 87.1% of the vote at Medvedev's suggestion. Even though Medvedev now held the highest office, Putin continued to pull the strings behind the scenes.

In the course of these 25 years, the Russian president has transformed his country into the "strongest personalized dictatorship in the world," said Russian political scientist Mikhail Komin.

He told DW that this was only possible because, over the quarter century he has been in power, Putin has persistently undermined all of Russia's political institutions.

It all began with the abolition of regional autonomy, Komin explained. The Kremlin created its instrument of control in the Russian regions, laying the foundation for a consolidation of power.

Another Russian political scientist, Grigory........

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