RUSSIA’S TWO most powerful men have both said they might run for the presidency in 2012, but they insist there is no tension in their “tandem” system of government.
Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin (57) failed to quash speculation that he intends to retake the presidency from Dmitry Medvedev (44), his long-time ally whom he ushered into the Kremlin last year after serving the constitutional maximum of two consecutive terms as head of state.
Mr Putin would be legally allowed to become president again, having stepped down into the role of prime minister. There he is still seen as the dominant figure in Russian politics and enjoys popularity ratings superior to those of his protege, Mr Medvedev.
During an annual television broadcast yesterday, in which he answers questions from the public, Mr Putin responded to a query about whether he would run for the presidency in 2012 by saying: “I will think about it.”
When pressed over when he would like to leave politics to spend more time with his family, Mr Putin replied: “Don’t hold your breath.”
Mr Medvedev was quick to respond when asked about the comments of his mentor, with whom he worked in their home town of St Petersburg before being summoned to Moscow. “Prime minister Putin said he doesn’t rule out this possibility and I also say I don’t rule it out,” Mr Medvedev said yesterday during a visit to Italy.
Both Russia’s leaders made it clear, however, that they had no appetite for a political battle for the Kremlin, which could distract them from running the country.
Mr Medvedev said that before the 2012 election, they would “agree on how not to elbow each other out and make a decision that is useful for the country”.
Mr Putin, meanwhile, said the “biggest mistake would be to subordinate current work to the interests of a future electoral campaign”.
“We graduated from the same university, had the same teachers, who not only gave us the same knowledge but also a common approach to life,” he said of Mr Medvedev. “Those common principles allow us to work efficiently.”
Over almost four hours of questions, Mr Putin focused on domestic issues, saying the worst of the economic crisis was over and the fight against terrorist groups must be intensified.
