Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (audio-ru???????? ???????????? ?????????Ru-DmitryMedvedev.ogg, Dmitrij Anatol?jevi? Medvedev; IPA-ru?dm?itr??j ?n??tol?j?v??t? m???dv?ed??f; born 14 September 1965) is the third and current President of Russia, inaugurated on 7 May 2008. He won the presidential election (Russian presidential election, 2008) held on 2 March 2008 with 71.25% of the popular vote.

Medvedev was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister (Deputy Prime Minister) of the Russian government (Government of Russia) on 14 November 2005. Formerly Vladimir Putins Chief of Presidential Staff (Presidential Administration of Russia), he was also the Chairman (chair (official)) of Gazproms board of directors, a post he had held, for the second time, since 2000. Medvedevs candidacy was backed by then President Vladimir Putin. On 10 December 2007, he was informally endorsed (political endorsement) as a candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections by the largest Russian political party (List of political parties in Russia), United Russia and several pro-presidential (political groups during Vladimir Putins presidency) parties (political party), and officially endorsed by United Russia on 17 December 2007. A technocrat (Technocracy (bureaucratic)) and political appointee, Medvedev had never held elective (election) office before 2008.