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MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he would run for parliament in December and had a "realistic" shot at becoming prime minister, dropping a political bombshell that may herald a fundamental change in the way Russia is governed.
"I gratefully accept your proposal to head the United Russia list," Putin told delegates packed in an ornate hall near the Kremlin for the ruling party's annual congress.
"Heading the government is a realistic idea, but it is too early to think about this now," he said.
For this to happen he said two conditions were needed: victory of the United Russia party in the December 2 elections to the State Duma and the election of a president who is an "orderly, capable and effective person."
Putin's announcement stunned political observers in Moscow and came after years of speculation about what the Russian leader, who enjoys extraordinarily high popularity ratings at home, would do after his second and last presidential term ends next year.
Pro-Kremlin political analyst Gleb Pavlovsky described the announcement as a radical change that marked the first time since Boris Yeltsin challenged former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the early 1990s that a centre of power outside the Kremlin was taking shape.
"We can forget our favorite cliche that in Russia, the president is the tsar," Pavlovsky said after Putin's announcement.
"It's the most politically logical solution to the problem of what Putin does when he leaves office," he added.
While Putin's announcement reduced some of the uncertainty about his political plans in the near future, it also immediately raised a host of questions ranging from the constitutionality of the plan and the role of the head of state who succeeds him.
Maiya Grishina, a member of the central elections commission, said there was nothing in Russian law that would forbid Putin from running for a seat in the legislature while remaining president.
"Under existing legislation, the president is not forbidden from putting his candidacy forward for any elections, including election of deputies to the State Duma," Grishina was quoted by a news agency as saying.
The president may continue to exercise his duties as head of state but is not permitted to use the office for campaigning, she said.
Link: Putin announces run for Russian parliament
"I gratefully accept your proposal to head the United Russia list," Putin told delegates packed in an ornate hall near the Kremlin for the ruling party's annual congress.
"Heading the government is a realistic idea, but it is too early to think about this now," he said.
For this to happen he said two conditions were needed: victory of the United Russia party in the December 2 elections to the State Duma and the election of a president who is an "orderly, capable and effective person."
Putin's announcement stunned political observers in Moscow and came after years of speculation about what the Russian leader, who enjoys extraordinarily high popularity ratings at home, would do after his second and last presidential term ends next year.
Pro-Kremlin political analyst Gleb Pavlovsky described the announcement as a radical change that marked the first time since Boris Yeltsin challenged former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the early 1990s that a centre of power outside the Kremlin was taking shape.
"We can forget our favorite cliche that in Russia, the president is the tsar," Pavlovsky said after Putin's announcement.
"It's the most politically logical solution to the problem of what Putin does when he leaves office," he added.
While Putin's announcement reduced some of the uncertainty about his political plans in the near future, it also immediately raised a host of questions ranging from the constitutionality of the plan and the role of the head of state who succeeds him.
Maiya Grishina, a member of the central elections commission, said there was nothing in Russian law that would forbid Putin from running for a seat in the legislature while remaining president.
"Under existing legislation, the president is not forbidden from putting his candidacy forward for any elections, including election of deputies to the State Duma," Grishina was quoted by a news agency as saying.
The president may continue to exercise his duties as head of state but is not permitted to use the office for campaigning, she said.
Link: Putin announces run for Russian parliament
