President-elect Putin vows to end economic chaos

His nearest rival, Communist Party leader got 29.44 per cent, and liberal Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky ended third with 5.85 per cent, based on about 95 per cent of the votes counted.

“We can say that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was elected President of the Russian Federation,” said Veshnyakov. “The candidates’ score will not change significantly.

Addressing the Cabinet meeting in the White House, the seat of the Russian government, Putin vowed to work on a detailed programme to end economic chaos that has plagued Russia since the fall of Communism.

“The results so far give us an additional push towards working to achieve even better results,” he said.

“In the near future, we must put together all our work on an economic programme into a weighty document,” he emphasized, while referring to his yet unannounced economic programme.

Putin is expected to be inaugurated as President on May 5 to 8, within one month of the official announcement of election results, Veshnyakov said.

At a midnight press conference at Election Commission’s federal information centre, Putin didn’t say anything about his future Cabinet, saying only that this will have to be given a thought after the results are finally announced.

However, he made it clear that he will immediately enter into consultations with the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, on the formation of a government, including the proposal of the candidacy of a new Prime Minister.

The Kremlin official said that Putin will send the name of a new Prime Minister to the Duma for approval, after his ceremonial inauguration, at a joint seating of the State Duma and the Federation Council, the upper house.

It is expected that the First Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov will possibly be promoted to the post of Prime Minister as Putin has highly praised his performance in the recent months.

Communist speaker of the Duma, Gennady Seleznev, said that in view of the strong showing in the presidential election, a coalition government should be formed.

But Putin has so far not hinted whether he will invite Communists in the new government.

At the Cabinet meeting on Monday, Putin said the emphasis will be on practical skill, not on the political ideologies.

“If they are ready to work with us, they will find a palce in our government. The only thing they don’t have to do is to make political speeches. There is no place for such people in the practical work,” Putin underscored.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Igor Ivnov has warned that changes might be made, among other areas, in Russian foreign policy, following the election of Putin as President.

“Of course, it will undergo some adjustment, taking into account the new foreign policy concept of the country, which was discussed recently at Russia’s Security Council meeting,” Ivanov said after a Cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, Zyuganov has accused the Kremlin of vote-rigging, in a number of republics, including Chechnya, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Saratov region, cheating him out of the second round.