His appointment the day after his protege, Dmitry Medvedev, became president allows the former KGB officer to leave the Kremlin without giving up power.

Former President Vladimir V. Putin was appointed Russia's new prime minister today, securing himself a new place in power a day after leaving the Kremlin. His appointment was the final stroke in a precisely choreographed transition designed to allow the former KGB officer to leave the Kremlin without relinquishing authority.

Forced out of the presidency by constitutional term limits, Putin on Wednesday handed the post to his protege, Dmitry Medvedev, who in turn nominated his old boss as prime minister. Ever since anointing his successor, Putin has hovered at Medvedev's side during meetings and public appearances. Both men have insisted they plan to run the country as a cooperative project.

"All the previous years we've been working together, and we'll continue to work together," Medvedev told the lower house of parliament today. "There's no doubt that our tandem, our cooperation, will only grow stronger."

But Medvedev is now in a more powerful position than his longtime mentor. And in a country where the tradition of a single, powerful ruler is deeply ingrained, many are questioning whether Putin will be the one calling the shots -- or whether the two men will clash as Medvedev grows stronger.

Today, Putin stuck carefully to the domestic, bread-and-butter issues that have traditionally been tended by the prime minister. The lawmakers listened attentively -- and burst into regular fits of applause -- as Putin gave a lengthy, forceful list of social and economic policy suggestions, ranging from anti-drinking programs to lowered inflation to tax cuts for the oil sector.

Afterward, the lawmakers voted 392 to 56 to approve his appointment. Only the Communists failed to back the former president.

Putin's nomination was never in doubt. His party, United Russia, holds more than three-quarters of the seats in the Duma, or lower house.

Today's debate was the final, theatrical exercise in the long-guaranteed ascension to the job he chose for himself. Under Putin's centralized rule, the prime minister remained a relatively toothless, largely bureaucratic position. But many Russians are skeptical that Putin will be willing to stay in the shadows while Medvedev sits in the country's most powerful office.

Putin is expected to appoint a government in coming days, and has said that he plans to increase the number of deputy prime ministers.