it is good to have you with us here today on r.t. i'm sure live in moscow a lavish celebration has taken place at the kremlin where a lot of the putin has become the first russian president to be sworn in for a third time is now set to stay on for an unprecedented six years as putin took the oath he appealed for unity and reform to carve out a stronger russia in what he called a new stage of national development thousands of guests later joined the president at a private party to enjoy some fine cuisine and champagne let's get the details of the inauguration from our very. own who was in the midst of all of it and certainly you were enjoying it among all of those in attendance if you will take us deep behind the walls of the kremlin what was it like the first time i've ever witnessed the

you know gratian of the russian president firsthand and we arrived at about ten o'clock am moscow time we did for a little less than two hours before the the whole inauguration process commenced and i was surprised that the whole process the whole ceremony took just less than an hour first we saw live on the huge plaza screens everywhere in the in the in the george and george hall the very beautiful aerial shots of the motorcade traveling from the government building from the white house to the kremlin certainly something unprecedented and novelty for the way this integration has been televised in russia so far then. apart from that and the kremlin walls he greeted the kremlin regiment the presidential special regiment then put in arrived he went in walked past us in the sand george foster thousand odd guests to guess who gave it there greeted with a lot of loud of a shit and certainly the people who were there were really happy to see. it is

rushed present for the third term now. then he calmly and collectedly where it went into the main hall where the whole integration was to take place took the oath a very short oath only thirty three words very important words those were and this speech in fact is just three words shorter than that of the american president bill which we have we can listen to what that that southwick. you know is as i fulfill the duties 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 . you can see how the new russian president was calm and collected and passionate some way of pronouncing his oath did if at some cases look a little sad and maybe even nervous with easy to understand it's the third time

putin has been doing this inauguration and certainly knows what he's doing then he took the actually beautiful presidential power from the hands of meditative which is certainly the big and beautiful presidential medal made of gold encrusted with rubies and then after he left as he was leaving in fact of st george's hall he shook hands with most of the crowd who were standing up on the first line loud of ation again people very happy for him then we heard from the open windows of the of the old to reach shots just meters away from the kremlin which is clear symbol that the presidential term of the middleton has kicked off in russia well certainly as you were describing a very loving ceremony or certainly was the first one this morning so according to describing it as pomp and circumstance upwards of three thousand in attendance for the inauguration you being one of them certainly though there were some big names in attendance definitely from all spheres you can think of from politics from village and from the military from sports you know the greatest of russia were

there not only from russia in fact some former leaders of world countries were there like for me telling prime minister silvio berlusconi former german chancellor gerhard schroeder we're all there as well as far as one is that arnold schwarzenegger the former governor of california who was also there reported to be there i never saw him but it was believed that he was there also the last soviet leader mikhail gorbachev the widow of the first president of russia in the year and even the likes of football stars the former everton football player. who was there it's interesting that even the leader of the biggest biker back in the most called the night waltz was there and he's called the surgeon a very famous guy and he was the only one not wearing a tie and suit like most of the guests he was wearing black leather jacket like all bikers do so different. a mixed crowd but just twenty minutes after the finished. the hall where we stood there said george hall was empty because all of those

guests went to dinner some speculate that is doing a cost about a million dollars it's a speculation maybe but i never had a chance to go there but my insiders from the dinner told me that there were black caviar on the menu fried scallops even. a couple chino made of cocoa milk was there along with expensive champagne wine and definitely was a big party to remember but now certainly the party is over and a lot of work is ahead of you president elect as you were sitting there in st george's hall in the kremlin watching the events unfold you mentioned that you were watching these large passenger screens so you and i both saw the helicopter footage showing moscow moscow which is generally renowned for bad traffic too many cars on the road but it was deserted for the presidential motorcade how did they pull that off the rails all the years i've lived in moscow or have never seen moscow so empty in central moscow so empty i mean when i was going to the kremlin on my way there in the morning it struck me that the city is completely deserted only the policemen were there no traffic no anything this acuity measures have been certainly

unprecedented for inaugurations in russia but this is not something we should be surprised about i mean integration certainly is a very important event it should be very well protected i remember these scenes from the united states four years back when obama president obama was inaugurated in washington and as many as sixty five thousand policemen servicemen military were ensuring the safety in moscow there were only twenty thousand so it's almost three times as less than that in the united states also i remember in the united states there were helicopters and even fighter jets talking about washington d.c. to provide security so differently the security measures in moscow are not something unusual on typical but definitely for russia they have been unprecedented for certainly the world is unprecedented as a lot of my put in no man's the helm for his third term a term of six years now. sort of rush artie's alexi thank you. well that was a take from inside the kremlin but for now it's easily said now away from outside

the gates of the kremlin looking into some of the public expectations for vladimir putin's third presidential term. usually but not always tends to be pretty black and white when it comes to what people think of like the mayor putin that was very evident on the streets of moscow just on the eve of his inauguration one thing most people do agree on is if he wants this third term to be a success putin is going to have to make some changes. he's back for an unprecedented third term after a break as prime minister and many say russia will need to see putin two point zero any leader who's been in power for five six seven years in a difficult position because people get used to him and the taken for granted he has to then reinvent himself putin has made the promise i had of the poll he proposed vast reforms from a major crackdown on corruption to diversifying the economy and raising living standards which is the. next term will be the one that forms his legacy as

a politician in russian history and i'm sure it will be a positive one. but the people to be convinced most are the opposition who gathered in the largest numbers russia has seen for decades after claims a vast front in december's duma vote and clashed with riot police on the eve of putin's you know your ration he needs to set out for reform and not a reform on paper but something real something that both the opposition and you know the regular people not just in moscow but off throughout russia can see that this is really putin two point zero the most popular politician no doubt has a majority of support across russia and is credited with extraordinary development in the country but putin leaves few people in different at home and abroad it usually comes down to love or hate but i don't think that everything that putin has

done is defensible or by a by a very wide stretch but there are some people who argue in such transparent bad faith. but it's you know it's impossible not to notice that it's just it's a person it's a personality thing in the west he's seen as harsher than midriff especially on foreign policy which could prove to be a challenge on issues like the reset with the u.s. and pushes for intervention in the middle east but on the economic front analyst have already sense to change at least three key issues to entry profit isolation investment climate reform we see. putin changing his. emphasis and direction on particular issues in a way which corresponds with a political shift a shift that is most evident on the web russians have never been more active in politics blocs twitter facebook or something putin will have to embrace if he wants to stay in touch yes to participate otherwise you'd be excluded and you would have

the other russia which talks its own language and the president will talk his language leaving the question now that he's back can putin move forward. now what we saw on sunday were pro and anti putin rallies across the city the biggest one took place on both my a square and it did turn violent it should be said that this is been quite peaceful if not sometimes festive movement that began in december after claims of doom of fraud it lost a little bit of steam leading up to yesterday's protests but what a lot of people say is that this peaceful movement or at least what has been was pretty much ruined by a couple of provocations very violent complications from some of the more radical opposition leaders and even on today i don't know if you're a sunday we saw some people gather throughout the city one hundred twenty or so arrests were made and this is really a sign that putin has come back to the kremlin and the political life in the

country as well as protests are most likely going to continue and gordon of course has officially said in his candidacy for jimmy to be made to become prime minister it's expected to officially go through as a formality on tuesday. arsenal let's get some more insight on this from victoria a political analyst from moscow state university of international relations good to see you today or the moscow police they detained around one hundred twenty people earlier today for illegal rallies in moscow protesting of course putin's return we did see tens of thousands turning out to protest in recent months but they were peaceful why did events suddenly turn violent on the view nor gratian. i would say i would actually divide this problem into two parts because obviously there are people that do doughty agree with their politics that they're with their core is that putin is pursuing is always going to pursue you and that can be

unhappy with him or with their elections as such read but i think i can tell him who actually led the provocations but the purpose of those unrests and. rush harsh reactions on the part of the trout and then reaction of their police is that in return could be to demonstrate a kind of to. demonstrate. actions counter to his words because he just said about talking about people's rights and preserving people's freedoms and then suddenly this way it could be. pretended or shown as a crackdown on people's freedom so i guess there was there could be an intention on their part of the opposition. part of it to kind of show the discrepancies between what he says and what he does at the very least and also to not to make it so bright and so glamorous on the day of his first. day in office

back in office less address to some of the issues or certainly on the politics of the outgoing president certainly on the incoming president now president putin former president medvedev place. of emphasis on modernizing the country but now we're back to president putin can we expect him to follow up on the promises of movie if you thing. i think as we saw at the very. last months of me david if presidencies some of those. steps were already taken back track like for example time zones or some internal like oh to my stories etc but in terms of their outer world if we talk about foreign policy i think majority will get kept on there were a few years on the part of the experts that for example the w two session wouldn't be approved by putting but we saw from his article end of february that he actually

thinks it's a big step forward and he will support this so this is a good sign and i think putting is very much intending to continue could gratian with the western countries because he does one to have them great in terms of innovative technology etc but together with also fully in the previous course he will continue diversifying to the maximum their foreign policy and talking with breaks countries and probably this way of trying to balance russia between those two forces the western world and their emerging brics countries understand that i do forgive me we're running very low on time here on r.t. but i do want to ask you one more question looking back on putin's own twelve years in power so far what does he deserve credit for most and where could he take russia over the next six years tough question. i would say the biggest credit was what was his slogan was about it was still is

a shame because people were so tired of the yeltsin years of rest uncertainty. poverty and so this was of course thanks to the economic conjuncture oil prices going. country came out but managed to stabilize their political situation in the country and i think that's what he deserves credit for mostly and i hope that. he will actually debate from this course more and will. more center on innovation what it was talking about and fighting but not as much in fighting for and expanding their military capability of the country but more focusing on its internal development on economics and social. social development. those are the biggest challenges and certainly they are in fact mr president

touched down on that also saying that the next few years will define the next several decades of russia's future political analyst from of the moscow state university of international relations thank you for coming on our seats. where you can always follow us here at more news and stories about a website r t v dot com here's what's waiting for you there right now moscow braced for a victory day for the fourth and final rehearsal of the military parade has taken place in the heart of the russian capital a massive celebration will take place across moscow on may ninth. also blow the whistle pay the price learn where reporting could land you if you served in the u.s. military. in germany to green energy highly anticipated by dreaded. story.

it's good to have you with us here on our to today socialist francois hollande has won the presidential election the french presidential runoff making. the latest e.u. leader to be swept aside by the crippling debt crisis the president elect has promised to fight against the german led european austerity drive is ready spoken to chancellor angela merkel the first foreign leader will visit from paris with this report. presell and in his acceptance speech yesterday did talk a lot about unity which is which has been much of the theme of his entire campaign he said he's the one who's going to bring about solidarity and unity criticizing cycles is divisive presidency but of course the unity he's talking about does hinge on his ability to bring about the promises that he had made particularly the practical promises of jobs and employment and this is a no easy feat given the the economic circumstances of france said again he is the

first thing he wanted to do is to talk to german chancellor angela merkel to push for this growth or yet approach and he has a lot of supporters on this approach however even these supporters are skeptical as to how much she can really do given the constraints i mean france is a part of the euro zone there are sixteen other nations who are using this currency there are a lot of rules to be followed and so they're looking at how much maneuver room he really have and it comes to international dealings there's going to be the nato summit and he had said that he wants to pull out french troops from afghanistan a year earlier than planned he will have to and he's expected to present this blood to president barack obama and the the rest of the nato alliance and also when it comes to issues like syria and iran observers are saying that we may expect a less aggressive press whatever this observation is based on the rhetoric so far so of course we have to see the actions that this new president will be taking now french people at the end of the day said that they voted for change but let's not forget that when nicolas sarkozy was voted in two thousand and seven they also voted for change so it's in france hold on does have

a lot of work to do ahead of him and prove that he does a service presidency. the stats are silly reporting right there let's get some more now on the french election and talk to a little bit good than from the national front party who's standing by for us now live in brussels our thanks for coming on our team today let's cut to the chase here why do you think sarkozy lost this presidential election. because he did not respect the standard for five years ago or even ten years ago when you were as minister of interior and then president of the republic he lied to his constituents you know and this is where he's been punished. now for the first time though in seventeen years france has chosen a socialist candidate i mean dire economic debt problems for france does all land represent a fresh positive new start for france. we do not believe this because the socialist party had been in power before the party of mr sarkozy they believe almost all the same policies now today says that he wants to challenge the european

treaties marco and other of his friends in europe will probably tell him that it's not possible so he's going to be quite a difficult challenge for him and we believe that the problem material actions will be very important to actually see what the real change is now i did i did hear as you mentioned a moment ago that francois hollande saying that one of the first things he's going to do is go off to germany and try and cut back on what he called these are these germany administered austerity measures on the eurozone denyse or statement from the german government saying he cannot do that he's powerless to make changes why is that. absolutely completely paralysed because the rules of the european treaties like the treaty of stability mechanism for stability means that the rules make it quite impossible for him to do this by himself he will have to ask his friends in europe to be helping him on this issue where they don't think he will be agreeing

with this so you're saying that he needs to go to his friends in europe for any support on this issue. going against austerity measures but you are in brussels does he have any friends in europe. yes. many friends now in europe and this will be growing until the next european elections because we want to challenge this federalist equerry the european union has been constructed since since the master's treaty and you want to build a more europe of nations and corporations we means that we have to deal against austerity measures which are the only agenda these people here in brussels have you mention the whole issue of austerity measures and certainly an overwhelming issue among voters and among leaders as well hollande the land has promised growth but how will an austerity pact and the growth pact work together. this is just words using used all together in the same put in the same bag to look good

it's impossible it's impossible we have to break through all the system get out of the circle this vicious circle or we continue this with austerity measures and then we're going to finish like like greece this is what's going to happen and soon maybe spain fortunately this is the scene means we have to challenge the financial markets we have to challenge it bring in new deal about finances in europe maybe around the world let's let's broaden our scope here in and changing turning away from regional issues let's talk about global issues what about all lands relationship with the u.s. so he wants to renegotiate the financial arrangement a move that might hurt the dollar he also wants french troops out of afghanistan by the end of the year how's that going to influence what should be a cozy relationship with barack obama. well we've heard that. sent his greetings last night when he didn't want to meet him when he was

presidential candidate so actually as they have to do with him on international. all wars globalise wars as we say it's not going to be easy but yes he wants to reach to take the troops out of afghanistan as we wanted to do that i mean left or right in france most of the time we're trying to copycat with nine look and was trying to do it so we will see if you succeeded with this partners around the world right a little bit good from the national front party many thanks for coming on r.t. today thank you. all right as we continue to come to you live from moscow bahrain or thora to use of a rest of the country's most prominent human rights activist stand harsh critic of the state's ruling family not belittle job was detained just days before his appearance on julian assange show right here on r.t. in the program which airs on choose day there was a blow or gets an insight from him and a fellow egyptian activist into the uprisings in the arab states with this report

r.t. is up about it. well the authorities are said is that now bill rand 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 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 episode. so significant because this is this is thought to be. the 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 because he's 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 and what 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. i did realize that i was not at home in the just. to tell me to come to depopulation 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 that june as stanage things why he's been arrested basically by appearing on this. ranch out would indeed be

risking a great deal but even so. he that he would be willing to pay any consequences that come of it because he says he would be fighting in the name of democracy is what he had to say it's not difficult. but this is the struggle this is the freedom this is democracy fighting for as of course. we have to be a discourse and of course it might be very expensive as we have cause i'm willing to bid for the changes that we're 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 but like roger he too has become a target of the or thora sees the fact the tuna salad is speaking 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 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 it's being so now eleven thirty g.m.t. this tuesday. to speak to two leading revolutionaries one from bahrain for the revolution failed was the leadership where the revolution is though in turmoil for makes a revolution and where is the arab spring going to go. it's good to have you with us here in our to you today now syrians are voting today for a new parliament the election takes place simulation the ceasefire between the opposition and the country's ruling regime president assad is trying to ease the crisis hinting at reform but the opposition appears to remain unconvinced from damascus with this report are to serve. well there is no election fever head by any stretch of the imagination that being said there has been a steady stream of people here in damascus since the polls they pinned at seven am

this morning and our state t.v. is already reporting the data turnout has been high the population and syria around twenty four million fourteen million people are actually eligible to participate in these parliamentary elections damascus can often head fill a bit like a parallel universe in other cities that have seen fierce fighting and indeed very close to damascus and some of the suburbs is a very different story the opposition have boycotted the vote over together they've called it a shot the opposition should have first disappeared troops have requested some sort of when you're talking when you're talking to teams in order to. scrutinise the elections and that is a sort of elections this is not. it is one of the mistakes of the position that you did not purchase a period which is one of the mistakes of the government does not encourage your

position against that backdrop really there is a sense that the actual impact of the serious change to the serious political landscape won't be hugely affected by these votes but nonetheless they are going ahead and you are seeing very small steps now being taken towards this political reform. reporting from damascus now in a few moments i'll go off to talk to two authors who have been assessing putin's years in power first though let's do a quick recap of our top stories here on r.t. back to the kremlin vladimir putin becomes the first russian president to step in for a third. during a lavish ceremony just a few hours ago he set to leave the country for an unprecedented six years promising to make russia stronger and more unite. under windows the french presidency as he promises growth instead of austerity on the collapse of course he falls under the weight of france's mounting.