MOSCOW: Dmitry Medvedev, the man Vladimir Putin hand-picked to be his successor, scored a crushing victory in Russia's presidential elections on Sunday.

A result that was long anticipated but that still raises questions about who will run this resurgent global power.

As per the Central Election Commission with ballots from 80 per cent of the precincts counted, Medvedev had more than 69 per cent of the vote,. Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov had 18 per cent, it said.

Medvedev was on course to win about 70 per cent, according to a poll by the All-Russia Opinion Research Center, or VTsIOM.

Medvedev, 42, the youngest Russian ruler since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, is expected to heed Putin's advice, continue his assertive course with the West, maintain state control over Russia's mineral riches and freeze out real opposition movements.

''We will increase stability, improve the quality of life and move forward on the path we have chosen,'' Medvedev said on Sunday, appearing alongside Putin at a celebration at the Red Square outside the Kremlin. ''We will be able to preserve the course of President Putin.''

Sunday's vote came after a tightly controlled campaign and months of political maneuvering by Putin, who appeared determined to keep a strong hand on Russia's reins while maintaining the basic trappings of electoral democracy and leaving the constitution intact.