President Vladimir Putin's favourite party rejects any comparison with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), but at United Russia's Ninth Conference it looked just the part.

Delegates held up white cards to rubberstamp every single one of the party leadership's proposals, including the creation of a new post of party chairman to offer to Mr Putin today.

United Russia, which boasts nearly two million members, describes itself as "the party of power", controls parliament and proclaims itself a key driver of reform in Russia, just as the CPSU presented itself as the arbiter of political life.

Books of Mr Putin's speeches were given away free, alongside a new collection of speeches by President-elect Dmitry Medvedev, who is due to be sworn in on May 7.

Party members spent hours yesterday in debates about how to make Russia a "great power" with an innovative economy with no corruption and a large middle class.

It was unclear whether they were humming the Soviet national anthem or the reworked Russian version - with the same music - when they stood up later to open the conference.