yeltsen this showed loyalty, and therefore he was someone who could be trusted to protect yeltsen andbut putin could not fix all of yetten's problems. >> yetten needed to come up with somebody who could succeed in becoming president and then pardon him as the first act of his presidency so that yetten wouldn't end up facing criminal liability. >> a decisive man, a man who knew how to manipulate power, vladimir putin. >> in august 1999 yeltsen appointed 46-year-old vladimir putin prime minister of the russian federation and endorsed him for the presidency. but yeltsen's plan for his new prime minister to become president and then pardon him soon looked like it would backfire. >> translator: i i remember how the parliament was laughing. they were quite happy actually and very pleased, and that's why they voted for putin. a person who was embraced by yeltsen himself would lose any chance for a political future. >> but yeltsen hadn't played his final call. on december 31st, three months before the next election boris yeltsen resigned and designated vladimir putin acting president until th

. >> but putsen could not fix all of yeltsen's problems. >> yeltsin wouldn't end up facing criminal liabilityan who knew how to manipulate power, vladimir putin. >> in august 1999, yeltsin appointed 46-year-old vladimir putin prime minister of the russian federation. and endorsed him for the presidency. but yeltsin's plan for his new prime minister to become president and then pardon him soon looked like it would back-fire. >> and i remember how the parliament was laughing. they were quite happy actually. and very pleased. and that's why they voted for putin. person who was embraced by yeltsin himself would lose any chance for a political future. >> but yeltsin hadn't played his final card. on december 31st, three months before the next election, boris yeltsin resigned and designated vladimir putin acting president until the election was held a few months later. that afternoon putin addressed the nation on russian state tv. >> translator: i'm drawing your attention to the fact that even for a minute there will be no vacuum of power in the country. not before, and there will never be. i want t