Putin to return as President next year

[RedRalph]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15045816

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says he has accepted a proposal to stand for president next year.

Addressing the ruling United Russia party's annual congress, Mr Putin and current President Dmitry Medvedev backed one another to switch roles.

The announcements to the party, which Mr Putin leads, end speculation over which man would run for president.

The party dominates Russian politics and observers say Mr Putin's return to the Kremlin is now all but guaranteed.

He had already served two terms as president before Mr Medvedev took over in 2008. Mr Putin was barred by the constitution from standing for a third term.

"I want to thank you for the positive reaction to the proposal for me to stand for Russian president," Mr Putin said after Mr Medvedev suggested he should be a candidate.

"For me this is a great honour."

Earlier, Mr Putin told delegates that Mr Medvedev should head the party's list of candidates in December's parliamentary elections. Mr Medvedev accepted.

The congress must formally nominate the party's candidate - but that appears all but certain given the cheering and applause that greeted Mr Medvedev's proposal.

There have been months of speculation that Mr Putin plans to return to the Kremlin when elections are held in March.

Correspondents say most Russians believe he has greater influence in the country and far more power than Mr Medvedev.

so, will this make for bad relations with the US?

 

[Nobody]

Hasn't he pretty much been president anyway? Russia needs a law like America, 2 terms max, not 2 in a row then one off then two more..

 

[RedRalph]

Hasn't he pretty much been president anyway? Russia needs a law like America, 2 terms max, not 2 in a row then one off then two more..

Why??

 

[Lone Wolf]

Russia needs a law like America, 2 terms max, not 2 in a row then one off then two more..

In this case, Putin would just attempt to find another obedient President after Medvedev had served his second term.

so, will this make for bad relations with the US?

I don't see how, it's not like Medvedev was particularly pro-US.

 

[Lillefix]

Hasn't he pretty much been president anyway? Russia needs a law like America, 2 terms max, not 2 in a row then one off then two more..

It will just be treating the symptoms, not the disease(if you consider not-democracy the disease). There must be more fundamental changes. Free press, real opposition and so on.

 

[RedRalph]

As someone on another forum pointed out to me, it continues the treand since 1894 or leaders of Russia going Hair>bald>hair>bald etc

 

[GoodSarmatian]

Hasn't he pretty much been president anyway? Russia needs a law like America, 2 terms max, not 2 in a row then one off then two more..

Russian democracy needs a lot of things, but an arbitrary term limit is not one of them.

Btw, is it just me, or does he even look more than usual like a Bond villain in this pic ?

 

[Luckymoose]

I'm a fan of this, and I was sad to find out the Putin Palace was not actually for Putin.

 

[azzaman333]

Who wouldn't want to vote for that?

 

[Winner]

Why??

Isn't it self-evident?

 

[RedRalph]

Isn't it self-evident?

No...

 

[Tahuti]

Isn't it self-evident?

No...

Checks and balances and that sort of thing. Politicians who serve many terms often get complacent and kleptocratic or so the fear goes.

 

[Lone Wolf]

You We$terners will never understand. Russia is a Godly nation, whose ruler should be permanent and hereditary - for rulers need to be chosen by God, not by men's sinful desires.

 

[RedRalph]

Checks and balances and that sort of thing. Politicians who serve many terms often get complacent and kleptocratic or so the fear goes.

Do you think the US system compares favourably to, say, Ireland's or the UK's in this regard?

 

[Winner]

No...

Because it makes it a lot easier for one autocrat politician to remain in power virtually until he dies. And that's never good, not even in functioning democracies, which of course Russia is a far cry from.

 

[Winner]

You We$terners will never understand. Russia is a Godly nation, whose ruler should be permanent and hereditary - for rulers need to be chosen by God, not by men's sinful desires.

I don't understand why you didn't restore the monarchy. Make a powerless Czar the head of state so that people have someone to rally around (and thus neutralize the Russian autocratic instinct), while the real power stays in the hands of elected officials.

I know, I am being naive...

 

[Tahuti]

Do you think the US system compares favourably to, say, Ireland's or the UK's in this regard?

I don't really have an opinion on the matter. The UK and Ireland don't have a US-style president in the first place.

Because it makes it a lot easier for one autocrat politician to remain in power virtually until he dies. And that's never good, not even in functioning democracies, which of course Russia is a far cry from.

FDR stayed in power for like 12 years, but America didn't turn into a Putin-esque state.

I don't understand why you didn't restore the monarchy. Make a powerless Czar the head of state so that people have someone to rally around (and thus neutralize the Russian autocratic instinct), while the real power stays in the hands of elected officials.

I know, I am being naive...

Constitutional Monarchies are hardly a guarantee for freedom. Remember that fascist Italy and WWII Japan were constitutional monarchies as well.

 

[BirraImperial]

This can't be good for democracy...I don't see a difference between "democratic" Russia and the good ol' USSR in this regard at least.

 

[Artifis]

As Putin has been the one always in charge anyway, I don't see this negatively affecting US-Russia relations.

 

[amadeus]

At least Russia is honest about its tyranny.