Putin ready to be PM after polls

[w1z4rd]

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will become prime minister if his chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, wins the presidential election in March.

He was speaking at a conference in Moscow of the governing United Russia party, which has now confirmed Mr Medvedev as its candidate.

Mr Medvedev is expected to win, largely thanks to Mr Putin's own popularity.

Mr Putin is legally barred from serving a third consecutive term as president but could stand again in 2012.

"If the citizens of Russia trust Dmitry Medvedev and elect him the country's president I will be ready to chair the government," he told the United Russia conference.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7147774.stm

 

[lion_fish]

getting a strange Deja vu kinda feeling.....

 

[Syndyre]

I wonder if Putin'll amend the laws so that the Presidency is a largely ceremonial position and the Prime Minister has the real power.

 

[w1z4rd]

I wonder if Putin'll amend the laws so that the Presidency is a largely ceremonial position and the Prime Minister has the real power.

Well the Prime Minister is ment to control the government, but the president is the head of state, so this all should be interesting. 10 bucks says Putin becomes President again so I dont know if he will water down the power too much.

 

[Syndyre]

Well the Prime Minister is ment to control the government, but the president is the head of state, so this all should be interesting. 10 bucks says Putin becomes President again so I dont know if he will water down the power too much.

AFAIK in the Russian system the Prime Minister has a relatively minor role though, Putin could easily change the dynamics so that the Prime Minister is the one with the power, that way he'd be back in control and wouldn't face charges of sidestepping the constitution etc.

 

[milomak]

With Putin as party leader, the incoming president would be foolish not to listen to him. And that's not even going into what Putin could do to him given his KGB background. I suspect he will have little to no need to change anything.

 

[Skeptik]

With Putin as party leader, the incoming president would be foolish not to listen to him. And that's not even going into what Putin could do to him given his KGB background. I suspect he will have little to no need to change anything.

Yawn ..

What about Bush Snr. He was ex-CIA. What did he do to the opposition, given his spy background? Did he engineer it so that his son George W. took power?
Do I sound foolish?? If yes, then read your post again.

 

[milomak]

Ahhh the Russian state. The virtue of open democracy like the United States. Of course Putin putting himself as PM is in no way to manipulate the levers of power in Russia.