This is a list of Presidents of the Russian Federation formed in 1993 after the fall of the Soviet Union. This list includes only those persons who were sworn into office as President of the Russian Federation following the ratification of the Russian Constitution, which took effect in 1993.
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Boris Yeltsin came to power with a wave of high expectations. On 12 June 1991 he was elected president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic with 57% of the vote, becoming the first popularly elected president.[1] But Yeltsin never recovered his popularity after a series of economic and political crises in Russia in the 1990s. The Yeltsin era was marked by widespread corruption, economic collapse, and enormous political and social problems.[1] By the time he left office, Yeltsin had an approval rating of two percent by some estimates.[1]
Throughout his presidential terms and into his second term as Prime Minister, Putin has enjoyed high approval ratings amongst the Russian public. During his eight years in office, the economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase sixfold (72% in PPP),[2] poverty cut more than half[3] and average monthly salaries increase from $80 to $640, or by 150% in real rates.[4] At the same time, his conduct in office has been questioned by domestic dissenters, as well as foreign governments and human rights organizations, for his handling of internal conflicts in Chechnya and Dagestan, his record on internal human rights and freedoms, his relations with former Soviet Republics, and his relations with the so-called oligarchs: Russian businessmen with a high degree of power and influence within both the Russian Government and economy (See Criticism of Vladimir Putin). This was seen by the Kremlin as a series of anti-Russian propaganda attacks orchestrated by western opponents and exiled oligarchs.[5]
Medvedev was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government on 14 November 2005. Formerly Vladimir Putin's chief of staff, he was also the Chairman of Gazprom's board of directors, a post he had held, for the second time, since 2000. On 10 December 2007, he was informally endorsed as a candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections by the largest Russian political party, United Russia, and officially endorsed on 17 December 2007. Medvedev's candidacy was supported by former President Vladimir Putin and pro-presidential parties.[6] A technocrat and political appointee, Medvedev had never held elective office before 2008.
Supported by the Democratic Party Supported by United Russia Non-partisan without support
| № | Portrait | Presidents | Term | Term of office | Affiliation | Presidential mandate | Prime Minster(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boris Yeltsin Борис Ельцин (1931-2007) |
1 [a] |
25 December 1991 |
9 August 1996 |
Supported by Democratic Party |
57.30% 45,552,041 votes |
Viktor Chernomyrdin Sergei Kiriyenko Yevgeny Primakov Sergei Stepashin Vladimir Putin |
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| 2 | 9 August 1996 |
31 December 1999 |
None | 53.80% 40,208,384 votes |
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| 2 | Vladimir Putin Владимир Путин (1952-) |
acting | 31 December 1999 |
7 May 2000 |
None | Serving the remainder term of Boris Yeltsin as the Prime Minister of Russia |
Mikhail Kasyanov Mikhail Fradkov Viktor Zubkov |
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| 3 | 7 May 2000 |
7 May 2004 |
None | 52.94% 39,740,467 votes |
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| 4 | 7 May 2004 |
7 May 2008 |
Supported by United Russia |
71.31% 49,565,238 votes |
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| 3 | Dmitry Medvedev Дмитрий Медведев (1965-) |
5 | 7 May 2008 |
End of term: 7 May 2012 Incumbent |
Supported by United Russia |
70.28% 52,530,712 votes |
Viktor Zubkov Vladimir Putin |
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a. ^ Served as President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union from 10 July 1991 - 25 Dec 1991 after which the office became President of Russia.
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