Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been formally nominated by Russia’s ruling party to run for President in next March’s election.
The United Russia party convention unanimously voted on Sunday to nominate Mr. Putin as its presidential candidate for the March 14 elections.
“There is no more successful, experienced or popular politician in Russia than Vladimir Putin,” President Dmitry Medvedev said addressing the convention. Mr. Medvedev, 46, in September announced his decision not to seek a second term and step down in favour of his mentor and senior partner in the ruling tandem.
Mr. Putin stepped down as President in 2008 after serving two four-year terms and promoted Mr. Medvedev to replace him.
Speaking at the United Russia convention on Sunday, Mr. Medvedev hinted at two more presidential terms for Mr. Putin, who is 59. This would mean 12 years at the Kremlin helm as the presidential term was extended from four to six years during Mr. Medvedev’s presidency.
“In nominating Putin as United Russia’s candidate for President, we are finally and officially determining our political strategy not just for a short term but for a long-term perspective,” he said.
Accepting his nomination Mr. Putin said that his task would be to build “a rich, stable and trouble-free Russia” on a solid basis of stability and growth that he had laid over the past decade.
Mr. Putin is expected to win the March presidential race against his long-time sparring partners, such the veteran leader of the Communist Party, Gennady Zyuganov, and the eccentric nationalist leader, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. In his first two presidential campaigns Mr. Putin won over 70 per cent of the votes. Whether he can repeat his success next March will become clear after a parliamentary election scheduled for next Sunday. Pollsters predict his party, United Russia, will lose seats for the first time and will see its two-thirds constitutional majority shrink to a simple majority.
