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On June 12, 1991, Boris Yeltsin becomes the first democratically elected President of Russia, which still was part of the Soviet Union. He remained as President as Russia transitioned to an independent state. He resigned on December 31, 1999 at 12 am Moscow time. His resignation was announced on the main TV channels before the New Year's celebrations.
Following his resignation, Vladimir Putin became the acting president and later won the presidential election in March 2000, securing a four-year term.
