a very warm welcome to you on this very big day here in moscow. live on arts he. is now officially russia's president within just the past hour we've seen him sworn in during a grand ceremony at the kremlin his third as the country's leader has kicked off and he will hold the post for the next six years of course. you are inside the kremlin throughout this inauguration of you know i've been to the kremlin a couple of times now but i've never been to the grandiose in george hall you were there what was it like is what i understand is the ceremony was ultimately short and sweet certainly have been to the kremlin lots of times like it dozens of times was the first time i have attended the gratian certainly a very interesting ceremony rubbing shoulders with so many of you from different

sphere from sports from armstrong military from religious fear so many about three thousand guests were there now the ceremony itself was rather short it took less than an hour for the whole process we standing there and it's in george's hall witnessed amazing video shots of how president entered the kremlin of how back then prime minister now certainly a president elect now certainly the president vladimir putin. and the government building and his travel through cordoned off streets of moscow with some amazing aerial shots we all saw that from the from inside the. hall then. in arrived the whole process took about five minutes with the idea with the handing over the actual bits of power to vladimir putin the huge presidential medal made of gold and rubies then there was a short oath pronounced by vladimir putin in fact it was only thirty three words

three words shorter than an oath of the american president i believe we have a chance to listen to that oath which. you know it's as i fulfill the judy's of the president of the russian federation i swear to protect and guarantee the rights and freedoms of our citizens to observe and protect the constitution of the russian federation to protect the sovereignty independence and territorial integrity of our state to serve its people faithfully. so these words mean that you will be russia's president for the next six years at least he has begun certainly the people who were there inside george's hall greeted that with huge round of applause everyone seemed to be very happy when putin was actually passing through the red carpet beside the people he was shaking hands with with many of them standing in the in the front row there was a certainly as i said artist sports man different generals great pressure war veterans there were a few dozen there very interesting thing to see them there because as we know just

a couple of days we'll have the the day celebrations here in russia and the former c.i.s. anyway later on just twenty minutes. which was officially sworn in as the country's president the whole where we were stood this in georgia was empty because all of those people went to. some speculate a million dollar worth dinner it's just speculation possibly but still we heard some things on the menu that black caviar fried far eastern style scallops different types of expensive wine and champagne regrettably i didn't make it there but it's a real. believe that with some part of the world the champagne the caviar the scallops it sounds like a million dollars dinner and to me. that i wasn't there with you but indeed very good for you and in six years time you have the chance to thank so much. there is still though a lot of work ahead for vladimir putin of course so he want to large majority to

return him to power but it wasn't with the backing of everyone now let's cross over to our correspondent and he said now we are standing by outside the kremlin for us now is good to see you and you said so just how much opposition has putin been facing all the lead up to use an organization. well usually not always worry comes down to a very black and white situation when it comes to being for or against putin and that was really the feeling on the streets of moscow just a day before this inauguration you had pro putin rallies but also went up with this . a rally which turned quite ugly the opposition has been growing since december elections and claims there are vast fraud it lost a little bit of steam but yesterday it should be said was the first time we really saw any kind of provocations or violence from a movement that has so far been not only peaceful but quite festive at times really but really the underlining point here is leading up to this election russians have never been more politically involved in what's happening in their country and to

speak now more about that joining me is sergei but a lot of he's a political analyst a journalist also commentated the entire ceremony for russian television i don't want to talk so much about the ceremony because i want to use you being here it was a lot of experience and i'm sort of no one would argue with that what people do argue about is putin and whether or not he's going to be ready to reinvent himself what do you think. two point zero so to say now let me. let me have a different question about the opposition it's very much from the streets. and also i normally sense is a program and most of the tweets protests since december have been on saturday so i'm sort of a specialist in story tried since the protests now with those due respects and those who haven't quite a lot of friends among those people who are in opposition plus this is another viable opposition so these pictures a picture rats yes we see people with slogans and shouting and cetera but that's in

parliament so the real viable opposition firstly does exist in this country and secondly is very much in the parliament but that's part of the argument that they can't get into the apartment that the system is built that way roberts well if it was built that way in fact i would be the first to say that yes the previous political parties about the i would actually say draconian well that is to explain in order to participate in the political process in this country that you've got to have a party and then go to have a party where the previous voice had to have fifty thousand members. recent changes you will only have to have five hundred changes the panorama. of the regulation is. so yesterday's riots were dominated by one of those new bodies which was has been great is according to new laws and. instead of a normal political process having said that of course people who are against him not necessarily belonging to the radical opposition all forty percent of the

parliament is composed of. from the political forces like the communist party to say the socialist party to make things easy and the liberal democrats the nationalists and. there's a policeman hodges representing the republicans and yes they will vote against mr clinton. tomorrow. who has been the president and who is now the candidate to the job of prime minister pointed by by the newly elected president there's a. real reform because even some of the opposition members of the real viable want. real results so we have those political reforms but in terms of corruption in terms of modernization what is going to start to feel those changes well i'm looking forward to things. the elections with which we will have an autumn this will be regional elections elections of governance by the way in which all the new political newly created

political parties will be able to participate with. balances or you know regulations so he participates please try to do something with a little reform in the have to wait but it's not that far from now the second thing is. because the the reform which in my mind is not so much political as the economic and social thing because all of us continue saying the same thing for several consecutive years now. depends on oil and gas just. with gas to go to do something else there's a lot of talk about it but not so much has been down despite of the sort of modernization this is going to see now what will happen the next. day it was told him today it was about his six yes presidency but in fact i think we don't have six he has really have a year maybe three more denies any more than eyes in the economy that these will happen i will be the first to say that he has both the political and economic

reform have been carried out if that doesn't starts happening then i think i'm afraid we will be in the vicious of people getting the right home political bodies and organizing street protests and god bless them but nothing really happening in the economy it's easy the whole the new stupid situation in russia no it is the political cost doesn't stop doing something serious about it will be as i said in the political cycle but then having said that you know of course the difference between the pessimist in a poor and an optimist normally they say that the past i'm used to is the same option is the better informed. because they think they think i'm well informed and yes indeed being well of reforms i am more on the optimistic side of things the last has been. have been a serious lesson for the police because. the very speed of the appointments only some individuals by music groups and the parliaments which resting in front of will discuss it tomorrow which is even to give you that even the unprecedented chad deal

to actually have these consultations within twenty four hours of the inauguration i think the political force has lessened both the opposition and those inside from the break bread rolls but it's never been a more interesting time in russia as a journalist or gabriel thank you very much for joining us with your analysis. begins his third term in the kremlin. outside the kremlin thanks very much. let's get some more insight into this now into exactly how vladimir putin's return will affect russia's foreign relations us talk a journalist and broadcaster neil clark joining us on the line from oxford here live on the program. good to see you today thanks for coming on r t let's address the one big thing here that over foreign policy we always know that in the immediate day or so when a new leader was inaugurated other world leaders telephoned them up to say congratulations and it's all smiles and happiness but let's talk about foreign

policy do you think putin's come back to the kremlin will shape russian's foreign policy in a different direction from the way it's been going well i think that who does come back is very good news for russia and indeed for the rest of the world there were a slight differences between president medvedev and putin on foreign policy and we saw that for example back in the georgia conflict in two thousand and eight and i think what we're going to see now the change will be is that russia will play an even more positive role i think in international. standing up to western aggression and standing up for the rights of independent sovereign states standing up for international law and i think that russia. is going to be very good for the world as it's been a key aggressive west under check as indeed russia has done so far in relations to syria and iran where as you say as you say so indeed having having been back at the helm may be good for certain parts of the world not particularly to the pilots of

some in the west let's bring up some of those issues that have been indigestible for example unsolvable issues between russia and the west or syria or iran or the missile defense plan in europe how will the issues do you think these ones in particular play out in the hands of putin and his western counterparts well i think it's up to the west who have been the aggressor as in all of these instances that you talk about it's up to the west to change their behavior and not up to russia standing up to aggression in regards to syria and iran. i think the western elite must accept there can be nobility in those countries and would accept that they do except that except that they won't be a problem we've got exactly the sort of fences to get going i think the ball is in the west called the west has got to realize this is a very provocative act and that if they go ahead with russia will respond so hopefully the west will respond to the reelection of president putin in the right way back down now some experts have said that putin has overplayed his patriotic

and sometimes almost anti american car during his election campaign will that do for russia u.s. relations do you think i'm not sure i'm not sure i really except that he has overplayed an anti american car during the campaign i mean all he's done is basically stand up for russia's own interests and i don't think he's anti-american per se or president putin is saying is that america must behave like a responsible member the international community it must stop threatening other countries it must abide by international law like everyone else must do so i think it's really up to the u.s. to change its behavior not russia all right a new life and also joining us here on many many thanks and thank you very much for it. r.t. is coming to you live from the heart of moscow. they've arrested the country's main human rights activist who's been one of the leaders of the uprising an appeal of our job but was detained late saturday on his arrival from lebannon it comes just

days before his appearance on julian songes show here on r.t. where the whistleblower quizzed him and an egyptian activist over the revolutions in the arab states bennett has details. well there are for a teaser said is that now bill ran job is being suspected of committing a number of crimes punishable by law and he's now being held on charges of inciting and taking part in illegal demonstrations and it should be remembered though that labial rajah's position has landed him in a number of made in the target even of the bahraini authorities before because he is a highly prominent activist there and also one of the most vocal outspoken critics of the country's ruling family and that's really what makes this next step so to do enough time to show so significant because this is thought to be. last interview before his latest arrest now is considered one of the heroes of the first protests that took place in bahrain last february he's now got over one hundred forty

thousand followers on twitter disease the head of the bahraini center for human rights and he's really the driving force behind the mass demonstrations that we're still seeing in the streets of bahrain despite a government ban on on public protests there since it became known that he was appearing on sanjay and that's that's what he elaborates on in this next episode when i said in my twitter account that i'm going to meet julian assange and i'm going to. give you program my house was surrounded by almost one hundred policemen and. machine guns and i do realize that i was not at home didn't they just. to tell me to come to deposit prosecutor today at four o'clock where i am here so the very day that he was summoned by the public prosecutor's office in bahrain he actually chose instead to appear on as angie's talk show and and appear on r.t. using the platform as an international platform even to criticize the regime in bahrain and it's for this reason they do nasty things why he's being arrested

basically by appearing on this show russia would indeed be risking a great deal but even so. he would be willing to pay any consequences that come of it because he says he would be fighting in the name of democracy this is what he had to say it's not the fullest. but this is the struggle this is the freedom this is democracy that we are fighting for as of course. we have to be a discourse and the course might be very expensive as we have a bit of a course in willing to bid for the changes that we are fighting for now one of the other guests this week on a do not show is another prominent activists in the in the arab spring his name is our abdel fattah he was a he was highly influential figure in the uprising in egypt last year in tahrir square that like right up to is the come a target of your thora sees the fact that even the sound is leaking to the very

people who are making leave things happen in these countries and are willing to face the consequences as we've seen with now bill roggio with his arrest this weekend well that really that's what makes this next episode really one that's not to be missed and you can catch it here marty being so now eleven thirty g.m.t. this tuesday. to speak to two leading revolutionaries one from bahrain where the revolution failed was really egypt where the revolution is now in turmoil for makes a revolution and where is the arab spring going to go. it's good to have you with us here on r.t. today still ahead for you this hour that have guns votes syria now holding parliamentary election in decades after president assad adopted a new constitution but the opposition however val's to boycott the vote calling it a farce. francois hollande has

defeated nicolas sarkozy in the french presidential runoff making him the latest e.u. leader to be swept aside by the crippling debt crisis. among the first steps the president elect is planning is to push back against german led austerity measures well let's get some more ideas on the outcome of that her and now speak to our load of analyst a former belgian m.p. an international consultant i thanks for coming on r.t. today how do you explain the success of the socialist candidate at these elections are people just desperate at this point for some alternative to drastic cuts and economic stagnation. you can or you can at least centered part of the french population on desperate. on the other hand we should do not forget that faulty nine percent of the french people still voted for the incumbent president for sarkozy so it's not exactly a landslide victory for a long listening to get there and i mean you should we should also take into

account how people voted in the first rounds rina almost a almost thirty five percent of people voted on the extreme we will do political spectrum extreme left and extreme right to have to do it he'll have to make a very imbalanced exercise awkward in coming years so i'm sorry to interrupt as you're saying you're saying it was a very very at the end of the day it was a very close match up between sarkozy but how did our line get it. well did you know that that's very hard to see from the norm and because apparently each people who voted for extreme left extreme right sort of fifty fifty went to do well and is so busy with a little bit of advantage to land and i think probably but it just an educated guess it has to do also into personality of both candidates we're people tend to vote for a normal guy while sarkozy's character and you know and certain behavior has

been reprimanded to bite people. now let's let's address some of the horse meat is called an election promise as our land has vowed to reverse austerity and the pension age increase brought in by star causey also were jews wealth inequality these are some pretty lofty promises here can he deliver on all this well actually indeed and i think that is part of the reason why he did it at the end get more enjoyment to be at a slim majority do feel nice in the short term he can certainly deliver on these issues for a very simple reason you know the define ensure consequences of policies always follow like for about a year after you take them the thing is also how will other european countries should react to it or will the go in the same way when will is just counter react and the local loop bent of germany will react to these issues well we certainly do we do understand that the german chancellor has already invited all on to to come

and meet and talk about what what a lot as we saying should be a new fiscal error that has alternately been dominated by germany having to solve the up a lot of a struggling euro zone if i may mr venues to one more question for us some have raised concerns over fatwa experience as he's never held a government post and share any of these concerns no i don't listen to get the president of the united states now only government closed i mean i can cite you several presidents who not only government those who did quite well i can cite you others that equated that itself it's not a concern you know it all depends on which people he chooses you know what you call to exist as saying that you are as good as good as the advisers that you choose and so far what i see is he is going in the right weight he's choosing people who will do at least put it on and tell they will deliver only to deliver on his promises or at a form of a belgian m.p. international consultant load of a new star live on r.t.

thanks for coming on extra. today all the latest from today's presidential inauguration ceremony. in the hot water in iran. leaving the persian gulf nameless on its. side find out what could be motivating the internet. giant pictures of stalin placed on public buses in russia on the eve of victory day. also what are. syria is holding a parliamentary election today the ongoing shaky cease fire for the first such vote in decades allows the formation of political factions to compete with the ruling baath party and the opposition has already urged a boycott seeing it as president assad's attempt to cling to power rather than a willingness for reform but as reports many in syria say it's the best time for

both sides to lay down their weapons. right now is the sea of faith is a campaign pace. for weeks more than seven thousand candidates by public support one of the two hundred fifty seats at thirty years old. he feels he's the voice of the young here who wants to bring that to the police. now in syria we have some problem it's a problem of people wanting to meet. everyone must go and choose someone who can speak about this problem the people in this parliament the elections. being held during a period of extreme instability. it is really. to arrange a vote. on the country. the country kind of people and too many cities and villages and towns have attorneys one of the towns not far

from damascus before the crisis it was a popular holiday spot but over the course of the conflict is an area that is fighting with control switching from the government to the free syrian army and then back again in many ways continuing strong resistance to the regime is a declaration of what they want. the government. safety. maybe maybe maybe. the army. if. the price paid for its resistance has been high following the u.n. observers we find a population for him elections the last thing on their minds here inside. of

the election campaign. you've got the faces of people who died during the conflict one boy just thirteen years old many lies have been lost david because of the conflict in syria is part of the reason many people are now desperate to see all sides lay down their. way there's not there's not. much i suppose. the opposition's boycott of the election is left little room for discussion here the. troops have requested some sort of when you terry. when you turning teams in order to. scrutinize the elections and the results of the elections this does not happen

it is one of the mistakes of the position did not persecute which is one of the mistakes of the government does not encourage your position lack of consultation on the part of the government and lack of dissipation of the opposition. dented any chance that they bring about radical change is something everyone but she does. because of the loss of. we are fighting each other not to use words but was bullets and this is. syria. it is good to have you with us here on r.t. today i remind of our top story here of lot of putin has been sworn in as the new president of russia and a grand inauguration ceremony in the kremlin dmitri medvedev handed power to the new head of state who took the oath on the constitution thirty one gun salute.

after the ceremony and in just a few moments i'll be back with the headlines up but for now let's take a look back at some of the highlights of this event. was. he.

who has . the oldest he's been in the business is going to get it so good luck was.

vladimir putin makes his comeback in the kremlin as he's sworn in as head of state . the country kicked off. for the next six. to. one of the leaders of the uprising. view with. the explosive interview on chief. under the way to france's mounting debt.