Russia Votes

Without a single superdelegate in sight, Russians go to the polls in a few days to elect a new president. Current President Vladimir Putin is stepping aside, although there are strong indications he will very shortly become the country's prime minister.

Front runner Dmitry Medvedev of the United Russia party is currently first deputy prime minister. He is also Putin's hand-picked successor and has 73% support in the most recent polls.

Serious questions have been raised about the fairness of the elections. The government has barred some international election observers, and the European monitoring team has left the country.

Meanwhile, The New York Times is running a multi-part series called "Kremlin Rules" examining Putin's impact on democracy's future in Russia.

More:

• Russian elections coverage, from BBC News
• Official website of the President of Russia
• The Relationship of the United States with Russia, from the About Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy
• Timeline of the Relationship of the United States with Russia, from the About Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy

Update: In a recent debate, Senator Hillary Clinton stumbled over the name of Dmitry Medvedev. In this video, Times of London Foreign Editor Richard Beeston gives the correct pronunciation (along with those of ten other foreign leaders).