Putin to run for parliament to become Prime Minister

Putin decides to use his chance to preserve his powers after election

Pravda, October 2, 2007

Vladimir Putin, who is barred from running for president in next year's election, indicated yesterday he had found a way to stay in power anyway, stunning observers by saying it was "entirely realistic" that he could become prime minister.

While the President, who has signalled his wish to stay involved in politics, can't seek a third consecutive term under the Russian constitution, there is nothing to prevent him from becoming prime minister.

Mr. Putin made the comment at a meeting of the main pro-Kremlin force, United Russia, where he announced he would head the party's list for the December parliamentary election. "Heading the government is a realistic idea," he told the party's congress when asked about his plans.

Mr. Putin added that it was "early" to be discussing himself as a candidate, but that he would be prepared to take the prime minister's post on two conditions: that United Russia won the parliamentary poll, and that a "decent, competent and effective person with whom I could work" was elected as president in the spring of 2008.

Analysts said United Russia's victory was a foregone conclusion and the next president was bound to be accommodating because he would be anointed by Mr. Putin himself.

The Russian leader has maintained high popularity ratings throughout his seven years in the presidency and a poll last month indicated that 64 per cent of Russians would vote for him if he could run next year. His successor is likely to be the candidate that he publicly endorses, Globe and Mail reports.

The Russian leader also said: "I accept with gratitude your proposal to head the United Russia list." However, Putin said he does not want to be a member of any party.

"Although I was an initiator in the establishment of United Russia, I, like the overwhelming majority of the country's citizens, do not belong to a party and am reluctant to change this status," he said.

United Russia opened its pre-election congress, which is the party's eighth, in Moscow earlier Monday.

About 2,000 guests and delegates from the regions gathered for the event, with about 1,000 journalists attending.

A member of Russia's Central Election Commission said Monday the law allows Putin to head the United Russia party list at the December elections.

"According to the current legislation, the president is not banned from forwarding his candidacy at any elections, including those to the State Duma," Maya Grishina said.

She said the president could continue his duties and does not have to take any leave, but cannot use his position to attract voters, rian.ru reports.

Source: agencies

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Putin says to lead dominant party in parliamentary elections

www.chinaview.cn 2007-10-01 23:46:37

MOSCOW, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) --

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he would lead the dominant United Russia party in the parliamentary elections scheduled for December and may seek premiership after second term ends.

"I am accepting your invitation to lead United Russia with gratitude," Putin was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying at the United Russia's pre-election congress.

Meanwhile, the president said he may consider to contest the premiership on two conditions after his presidency expires.

"Leading the Cabinet is quite realistic a proposal, but time is not ripe to consider it yet. At least two conditions will have to be met," Putin was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

"Firstly, United Russia is to emerge the winner in the State Duma elections on December 2, and, secondly, in the presidential seat there must be a decent, capable, effective and modern-type politician, with whom I might work in tandem," he said.

Putin's second term as president expires in 2008 and he is barred by the Constitution from running for a third term.

Putin to run for parliament to become Prime Minister

Dawn, MOSCOW, Oct 1, 2007

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he would run for parliament and had a “realistic” chance of becoming prime minister — a shock announcement that could herald a fundamental change in the way Russia is governed.

“I gratefully accept your proposal to head the United Russia list,” Putin told a pre-election congress of the party of power, United Russia, bringing hundreds of delegates to their feet with a roar of applause.

Mr Putin said that if the party triumphed in the Dec 2 vote and a worthy successor took his place as president in 2008, he could become prime minister.

“Heading the government is a completely realistic idea, but ... it would require at least two conditions,” he said.

The first condition, that United Russia win a majority in the State Duma, is a virtual guarantee, pollsters say. Mr Putin said the second condition was the election of an “orderly, capable and effective” president in March 2008.

His announcement stunned political observers in Moscow and came after years of speculation about what the Russian leader, who enjoys approval ratings over 80 per cent, would do after his second presidential term ends next year. Kremlin-linked political analyst Gleb Pavlovsky said that Putin’s assuming the post of prime minister would be “the most politically logical solution” to how to use his authority after he lays down the reins of the presidency.

The resulting split in power between the president and the prime minister would be “a radical advance in pluralism” for Russia, where there has been no power centre outside the Kremlin since Boris Yeltsin challenged then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s, said Pavlovsky.

“We can forget our favourite cliche that in Russia, the president is the tsar,” Pavlovsky said, speaking on the sidelines of the congress after Putin’s announcement.

Many questions remained about how Putin could become prime minister, which under current Russian law would require his successor to appoint him to the post.

Putin’s preferred successor is all but guaranteed to win the March presidential vote, though the question of whom he will choose is as hotly debated as his future role is.

The prospect of Putin heading the government was raised by party delegate Gennady Kotelnikov, rector of a regional medical university, after a series of other delegates implored Putin to somehow retain power after March 2008.

“If you agree today to head the federal party list, then in the spring you could head the government in order to complete the changes you began in the post of president,” Kotelnikov said.

Meanwhile, Putin’s decision to lead United Russia into parliamentary elections continues a relationship of mutual support that began with the party’s formation in 2001.

The Kremlin formed the party to support Putin after he took power in 2000.

It won a vast majority in 2003 State Duma elections and has unwaveringly backed him since.

United Russia has taken every opportunity to associate itself with the massively popular Russian president, titling its parliamentary election platform “Plan Putin.” A late September poll of likely voters by the respected Levada Centre put support for United Russia at 55 per cent, followed by 18 per cent for the Communist Party.

Expected to join Putin at the head of the party list are State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov and Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu.—AFP

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