Vladimir Putin signals he is pondering a presidential comeback in 2012

Source: Guardian UK

Vladimir Putin signals he is pondering a presidential comeback in 2012
Luke Harding in Moscow
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 10 May 2009 20.02 BST
Article history


Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin, tonight gave his strongest hint yet that he is pondering a comeback that would see him return to the Kremlin as president in 2012.

Putin said there was no decision yet on whether he or his close ally Dmitry Medevedev, the current president, would run for office when Medvedev's four-year-stint in the job expires.

"Depending on the effectiveness of our work, President Medvedev and I will take decisions about what to do in the future, he and I," Putin said in an interview with the Japanese media.

He added: "I have very good relations with President Medevedev. Each one of us does our work. We each have our niches. But of course at this level, questions frequently arise that cross over."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/10/vladmir-putin-president-russia-2012

I was about to say that I wasn't aware he had left...

drinking the cool aide... The moment that he left office as President, he was planning his return in 2012.

Not.

Bozita

Not suprised at all.. It was in the books long before he was leaving office after 8 year in office....

But, as it is, mr Putin are Just the Prime minister who serve at the wish of the Russian President... But I for one belive mr Medejev og and mr Putin have a great closer working relationship than most president prime minister in Europa have for the moment.. They are both former KGB's, and they have in many ways the same idea of where Russia should go, even that Putin was far more inclined to spend money on the russian army, airforce and navy than the current President are... Mr Medejev have for all its fault, doing more to rebuild a sivil control in the country than Putin have been doing when he was president...

But, both Putin and Medejev have working hard to hold Russia togheter.. Russia have been on the brink of brake up many times the last decade or so, and it is just the last 8-10 year that Russia as an state have been managed to keep toghteter... I doubt that no other country would be one country, after all the experiences that the russians have experienced the last 20 or so year... It have not been easy to be russian after the brake up of Soviet Union...

Diclotican

was there ever a doubt that Putin was coming back in 2012? Medevedev was just keeping the seat warm. I don't think that anyone is betting against a law in 2012 reducing the importance of the PM and increasing the powers of the President.

Remember, there was a law that gave more powers to PM before Putin stepped down last year.