His personal style garners Russian votes and hearts

Russian President Vladimir Putin is supported by 75 per cent of Russian citizens, according to a poll conducted by a Russian news agency on January 30.

But Putin has done more than won Russians?nbsp;votes and confidence. He has won their admiration in a way some compare to the often extreme feelings expressed for Josef Stalin.

Analysts and politicians marvel at the Putin phenomenon?nbsp;— a post-Soviet leader with approval ratings exceeding 70 per cent after more than two years, who has managed to win over parties that often opposed his predecessor Boris Yeltsin. Andthere is no credible rival in sight to the man who is expected to seek re-election in 2004.

A new phenomenon appeared in Russia last autumn—the notion of complete trust in the president and not just trust as expressed in an opinion poll,?nbsp;said Gleb Pavlovsky, director of the pro-Kremlin Fund for Effective Policy.

Pavlovsky is one of the thinkers who helped propel Putin into the Kremlin in a March 2000 landslide election.Two months earlier, Putin had taken over as president following Yeltsin's surprise resignation.

"You can get angry at a relative and even get into a fist-fight, but you have to think of putting things right. That's how things are with Putin. People who fallout with him end up having to patch up relations and say good things about him.?

Russian politicians have learned that it pays to stay on good terms with the president, given his immense popularity.

Comparisons are inevitable with Yeltsin, cheered when battling Soviet rule, but deeply unpopular at different periods of his nine years in office as he struggledto introduce market reforms which often bit deeply into Russians?nbsp;poor savings.

Unlike the flamboyant Yeltsin, Putin goes about his work quietly and methodically. And unlike Yeltsin, he goes out of his way to satisfy widely different sections of the electorate.

He satisfies left and right

Ivanenko said Putin has proved quite willing to satisfy left-wingers by reinstating the Soviet-era national anthem.

He also has kept liberals happy through tax reform, an overhaul of the legal system and proposals to do away with conscription. The same liberals have been enraged by the closure, on legal and financial grounds, of two television channels andthe import of spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing.

It is not based on the principle of giving a little bit to each side, but rather a very clever blend of policies,?nbsp;Ivanenko said. This is the essence of his personality, what makes him stand out.?Voters associate Putin with stability and predictability, in contrast with the volatile Yeltsin who fired four prime ministers in 17 months.

But analysts say that his approval is tempered by the fact that public debate has been replaced by a single man making most decisions.

"I fear that we may have become hostages to the opinions and actions of one man," Ivanenko said.