Putin orchestrated the pomp and circumstances of his reelection to deliver a simple message: His third term will be business as usual

Lost in the Crowd: Putin's Business-As-Usual Inauguration

Were it not for the French, Greece, and Schleswig-Holstein elections on Sunday, Putin’s inauguration for his third term would have been the top news. The ceremony included a tepid speech by outgoing “President” Medvedev (“Putin was elected by a majority of voters”), comic-opera marching soldiers, inspiring Tchaikovsky, marches, and the singing of the revamped Soviet national hymn. Putin marched alone down the red carpet of the Kremlin Palace in his characteristic swagger and administered the oath to himself, after which the chairman of the constitutional court, clad in mortarboard and black academic robes, declared Putin president of the Russian Federation. The Ceremony ended, Putin re-transversed the red carpet, pausing at the end to greet well wishers.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2012/05/07/lost-in-the-crowd-putins-business-as-usual-inauguration/