Not everyone accepted the results, and two of Medvedev's challengers threatened to go to court over alleged violations. Former world chess champion and Kremlin opponent Garry Kasparov plans street protests the day after the election, though only a minority of Russians sympathizes with his cause.

Although Dmitry Medvedev scored a crushing victory in Russia's presidential election, the Kremlin's opponents complain that voters have been denied a real choice because the biggest television stations slant their coverage in Medvedev's favour while election officials have barred some opposition challengers from running. However, Medvedev refused to take part in televised election debates, citing a lack of time. He already has the powerful state machinery behind him. There was a strong criticism for the Kremlin's favourite refusal to debate his rivals or formal campaign.

But Communist Party candidate Gennady Zyuganov and ultranationalist candidate Vladimir Zhirinovsky still alleged violations after the voting ended. After polls closed opposition leader Zyuganov said there had been widespread irregularities. "We will go to court over this," Itar-Tass quoted him as saying.

Impression was created that Medvedev was going to take over from Putin and the poll was only a formality, because Putin's eight years as president have left a deep imprint on the world's largest country.

Government-paid teachers and doctors across the country complained that they were being pressured to vote at their workplace under the gaze of their superiors, to ensure a convincing win and a high turnout for Medvedev.

Russian Daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta, discontent with Kremlin policy from academic circles, covered the report's contents, which focused on the lack of political opposition in the country and the need to change course.

While Medvedev is trumpeting the successes, not everyone was so convinced. Dmitry Sorokin, first deputy director of the Economics Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said "increased PR" had essentially become the main result of the two-year projects. He said the amount committed to addressing the problems was meager and the country is undergoing a slow degradation.