Putin hints at new role
Russia’s President Putin today gave his strongest hint yet that he would step down at the end of his second term next year.
Mr Putin announced he would lead the dominant United Russia party’s candidate list in December parliamentary elections and suggested he could later become prime minister.
He is barred from seeking a third straight term as president when his time in office ends in March, but has indicated he would seek to keep a hand on Russia’s reins. Heading the United Russia party list in the December parliamentary vote could open the door for him to become prime minister under a new system in which the power of the president would be diminished.
“I gratefully accept your proposal to head the United Russia list,” Mr Putin said at a congress of the party, which is expected to maintain its dominance of parliament in the election on December 2.
He called a proposal that he become prime minister “entirely realistic” but added that it was still “too early to think about it.”
He said that, first, United Russia would have to win the parliamentary elections and a “decent, competent, modern person” must be elected president.
