October 01, 2007

Putin Hints At A Run For Prime Minister

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced today that he will lead the ticket of the country's dominant political party in parliamentary elections in December, thus making him eligible to become the prime minister.

Putin, whose second term as president ends next year, is forbidden by Russia's constitution from seeking a third term. However, today's announcement confirms what many have long suspected -- that Putin fully intends to remain deeply involved in Russian politics after his presidency has ended.

At the eighth congress of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party today, Putin told members: "As far as heading the government is concerned -- this is a quite realistic suggestion but it is still too early to think about it." He added two conditions: "United Russia must win the election and a decent, capable and modern person with whom I work as a team should be elected as president."

Putin enjoys great popularity with the Russian people, many of whom have seen a substantial rise in their standard of living thanks to economic gains during his presidency. Lending his name to the United Russia party, which already holds a parliamentary majority, would virtually guarantee a landslide victory in the December elections. Grigory A. Yavlinsky, head of the opposition Yabloko party, said today's events were confirmation that there is a "one-party system" emerging in Russia.

It is widely believed that Putin will be able to hand-pick his successor as president, as well. Last month, he surprised the country by appointing a little-known financial official, Viktor Zubkov, to the premiership, "instantly elevating him into the small field of potential presidential successors," Bloomberg reports.

The presidency is certainly imbued with more power than the premiership by the Russian constitution and a stint as prime minister has often been a stop on the way to becoming president. If he goes through with this latest plan, Putin would technically be second in command. But Putin's former prime minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, now a member of the opposition, warns: "De facto Putin is going to keep all the presidential powers." Many speculate that Zubkov would become a subservient president, leaving the real power in Putin's hands.

No one can be sure what the notoriously unpredictable Putin will eventually decide to do and the legality of running for prime minister while he is still president is undetermined. But it is clear that the Kremlin leader is trying to leave the door open for a continued foothold in Russian politics.

Posted at 3:39 PM
Posted to: Russia, Vladimir Putin
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