Putin Drops Hint About Run for Russian Presidency

Vladimir Putin defended his record after a decade in power as Russian president and prime minister and hinted he may upstage his successor, Dmitry Medvedev, by running for the presidency again in 2012.

“Don’t hold your breath,” Putin, 57, said during his annual call-in show yesterday when asked if he planned to retire from politics. There’s still “enough time” to think about the elections, said Putin, who favored Medvedev’s presidency last year because the constitution bans three consecutive terms.

Medvedev, who is seeking a political voice distinct from his mentor’s, only hours later told reporters in Rome that he also doesn’t rule out running in the next elections. The 44-year old lawyer outlined his vision for a modern, democratic Russia in an address to the nation three weeks ago.

Russia’s top two politicians are jostling for the public’s attention even as they profess a close working relationship and shared goals. Medvedev is staking out his own territory by criticizing the oil-based economic growth of Putin’s presidency, deploring the glorification of Soviet leader Josef Stalin and calling for an end to corruption and cronyism.

In a four-hour call-in show, Putin fielded dozens of questions from citizens, who quizzed him on pensions, schools, medical care and job security. Putin, who began the tradition of the show during his eight-year presidency, reeled off figures from memory and outlined government programs, reminding viewers that “not all problems can be solved from Moscow.”

Government Defense
He defended his government’s performance in Russia’s biggest economic crisis in a decade, saying the worst was over and that growth may pick up in the middle of 2010 after contracting between 8.5 percent and 8.7 percent this year. He recalled the aftermath of Russia’s 1998 default, when inflation hit 84 percent, banks collapsed and savings were wiped out.

There is no reason for Cabinet changes, Putin told reporters after the live broadcast. He rejected the idea of firing the entire Russian police force and starting anew, saying not all officers should be considered corrupt or abusive.

Putin, who as president oversaw a return of state control to some of Russia’s key businesses, said the measure was a temporary effort to consolidate industries that had been broken up in the transition from a communist command economy.

“State corporations are neither good nor bad -- they’re necessary,” Putin said. “And I’d like to underscore that we have a common position in the country’s leadership.”
Stalin Assessment
Putin diverged farthest from Medvedev when asked for his opinion of Stalin. The prime minister said it wasn’t possible to make an “overall assessment,” since the Soviet leader was responsible for Russia’s industrialization and victory in World War II, as well as crimes against millions of his own citizens.

Medvedev said in October that “the memory of national tragedies is no less sacred than the memory of victories,” and that nothing could justify Stalin’s “great terror” 70 years ago.

Putin’s show lasted almost an hour longer than last year’s and cut off the beginning of a live broadcast of Medvedev’s visit to Rome yesterday.

State television advertised the show since the beginning of the week, showing Putin criticizing bureaucrats, picnicking with farmers and inspecting a new Lada car. More than 2 million questions and comments were submitted by citizens by phone, SMS and e-mail, according to the Vesti news channel. The show was called “A Conversation with Vladimir Putin. Continued.”


News Source: bloomberg.com


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