With the Russian presidential elections one week away, few doubt that Vladimir Putin, the acting president, would become the official master of the Kremlin.

Putin took over as acting head of state on December 31 following Boris Yeltsin's abrupt resignation. At the point of his take over commentators listed three factors that could wreck Putin's chances of winning the presidential race: Chechnya, the economy and heightened expectations from the Russian people.

So far Putin has fared well on all three fronts. Despite the loss of many federal troops, the military campaign in Chechnya remains popular among Russian citizens. The joint federal force in the breakaway republic reported 1,628 men killed and 4,308 wounded between October 1, 1999 and March 17, according to Sergei Yastrzhembsky, Putin's spokesman on Chechnya.

However, the rising toll appeared to strengthen public support for the assaults. A March 13 poll by the All-Russia Public Opinion Survey Centre found 73 per cent of the 1,600 adult respondents believed federal troops should continue the military campaign.

This reaction totalled an increase of support from last month by 3 percentage points. The campaign began last September following two waves of armed Chechen attacks into neighbouring Daghestan.

The Russian economy is also moving in Putin's favour. A devalued ruble and higher oil prices on the world market have helped domestic producers and brought windfalls to state coffers.

Meanwhile, expectations remain high among Russians, partly due to Putin's plan for a "constructive ambiguity" on his policy orientations. This strategy appeals to a wide-ranging public and avoids risks of alienating some of Putin's supporters.

The military actions in Chechnya have undoubtedly boosted Putin's popularity from relative obscurity, but his public support has other deep-rooted reasons.

Over the years, Russians have grown tired of economic shambles, lower standards of living and little influence in the international arena. Putin has an image as an uncorruptible, steel-willed, no-nonsense type, as displayed in Chechnya.

His slogan of a stronger motherland, gives the Russian people hope that here comes a strong man who may rejuvenate the Russian nation.

Actually, many of the other 11 presidential hopefuls have publicly volunteered that they stand no chance of winning the election, prompting local commentators to wonder why they still want to stay in the race.

The only exceptions are Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov and liberal Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky. Zyuganov said he would defeat Putin in the first round while Yavlinsky said he would beat Zyuganov in the first round and face Putin in the run-off.

As acting president and prime minister, Putin enjoys broad media coverage and is confident enough to decline free campaign advertisements allowed under the election law.

"People in the executive must prove their worth by their concrete deeds, not advertising," he said. "I will not be trying to find out in the course of my election campaign which is more important, Tampax or Snickers."