Putin set to return as Russian president

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MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday announced he will step aside in 2012 polls and backed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to return to the Kremlin for a new stint that could last until 2024.

Ending months of uncertainty over which of the men would run, Putin swiftly accepted Medvedev's proposal to run for president in carefully-choreographed speeches at the ruling party annual congress that dismayed liberals.

In an apparent consolation prize for the man who will go down in history as post-Soviet Russia's only one term president, Putin said Medvedev should become his prime minister in 2012 and head the party list in upcoming legislative polls.

"I think it would be correct for the congress to support the candidacy of the party chairman, Vladimir Putin, to the post of president of the country," Medvedev told the annual congress to cheers from thousands of delegates.

The Russian president, who had spearheaded a drive to modernise Russia since taking over from Putin in 2008 but always remained his shadow, said he was ready to head a Russian government under a Putin presidency.

Putin, who has dominated Russia for a decade, said he was certain that after the elections Medvedev "will be able to create a new, effective, young, energetic administration team and head the government of the Russian Federation."

The presidential elections are scheduled in March and due to the emasculated state of the Russian opposition, the candidate of the dominant United Russia is almost certain to win control of the Kremlin.

Under constitutional changes pushed forward by Medvedev and which many long suspected were aimed at further strengthening Putin, the new president will have a six-year mandate rather than four years as before.

This means that if Putin served again the two maximum consecutive terms he could stay in power until 2024 by which time he will be 72. (AFP)