Russia does not have a happy history of what it calls dvoyevlastiye, or “dual power”. From tsar Peter I and his sickly half-brother Ivan V to Boris Yeltsin and his rebellious parliament in 1993, competing power centres in Russia have often spelt instability – and sometimes bloodshed.
So relief among many Russians that the popular Vladimir Putin has found a way of retaining influence as likely next prime minister under President Dmitry Medvedev is tempered by uncertainty. The mystery of who Mr Putin would hand-pick as his successor has been supplanted by questions of who will really be in charge, whether the structure will be stable, and whether Mr Medvedev can establish his own power base and authority.
