Putin to run for Parliament

May become PM:

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

Putin said that if the party triumphed in the December 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 almost guaranteed, pollsters say. 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 percent, 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.

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

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.

Moscow, Tuesday, AFP

White House: Putin as PM is Russia’s internal affair

US: The White House said Monday the prospect of Russian President Vladimir Putin becoming prime minister was an internal matter for Russia, while urging free and fair elections.

“We saw the reports and this is ultimately a matter for the people of Russia to decide,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said after Putin announced he would run for parliament and had a “realistic” chance of becoming premier.

WASHINGTON, Tuesday, AFP