Vladimir Putin sworn in as the President of Russia

Vladimir Putin the former Russian Prime Minister and the president of the United Russia Party took the oath as the President of Russia on 7 May 2012. Putin had won the Russian presidential elections with 63.6 % of the vote on 4 March 2012.

Putin, who had served as the President of Russia for two consecutive terms from 2000 to 2008 was constitutionally ineligible to run for the third consecutive term as the president. After Dimitry Medvedev took over as the President of Russia in 2008, he appointed Putin as the Prime Minister of the country.

A graduate from the International Law branch of the Law Department of the Leningrad State University, Putin started his political career when he was in the University. Putin became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union when he was in the university, and remained a member until December 1991 when the party was ultimately dissolved.

Putin’s re-election to the office of president witnessed a series of protest across Russia. He was also accused by the opposition party and some international groups of irregularities during the presidential poll.

The Russian Federation was formed in 1993 after the fall of the Soviet Union. Boris Yelstin was elected as the first president of the Russian Federation.