The acting president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has urged members of the lower house of parliament to end years of conflict between themselves and the Kremlin.

During the opening session of the Duma, Putin said the executive was prepared to cooperate fruitfully with parliament.

In recent years, Communists who then dominated the legislature fought a power struggle with the former president, Boris Yeltsin, making several attempts to remove him from office.

Correspondents say the Communists still represent the largest faction, but the strong performance of the Kremlin-backed Unity movement at the elections has raised hopes that the parliament will be more inclined to approve reforms. A vote on the new speaker is expected later today.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service