(Newser)
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Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin completed their long-anticipated job swap today, with Russia’s parliament approving Medvedev as prime minister, as had been expected. Medvedev, who received a 299-144 vote, will serve under Putin, who was inaugurated for his third term as president yesterday and quickly nominated Medvedev as PM.
Ahead of the vote, Putin asked parliament to approve Medvedev, an "experienced politician" who "sincerely loves his motherland," the AP reports. Also today, two opposition leaders who staged a sit-in against Putin’s presidency were arrested. Alexei Navalny and Sergei Udaltsov, who organized many of the protests that have rocked Russia, spent the night in a park near Kremlin offices with about 200 others, Reuters reports. Protests had also been held over the weekend and yesterday.
