MOSCOW, MARCH 15 (Reuters) Russian president Vladimir, speaking after winning a second four-year term in the Kremlin, pledged early today to maintain economic growth, strengthen media freedoms and raise living standards.
"I promise you that all democratic gains of our people will without any doubt be upheld and guaranteed.
And we shall not stop with what has been achieved.
We shall strengthen the multi-party system," he said.
"We shall strengthen civil society and do everything to uphold media freedom," he said in televised comments to journalists.
"We shall do everything we can to ensure stable growth of our country's economy, the stability in both the economy and the social sphere...Which we value," he added.
Earlier, partial results from Sunday's presidential election showed that Putin had, as expected, brushed aside five rivals to take about 70 per cent of the vote.
Putin's pledge to strengthen press freedoms came after complaints from the West and from liberal critics at home that he benefited from blanket coverage on state-controlled media, denied to his opponents, in the run-up to yesterday's election.
Putin said his main goal would be to provide for the improved well-being of Russians.
'What has been done recently is not well-being.
It isn't improving well-being.
It is rather the dawn of well-being," he said.