President Putin may remain in power as PM next year
October 01, 2007

There is a very strong possibility that President Putin, who must step down next year, will remain in a position of power as PM.

Putin announced that he would head United Russia's party list in December's parliamentary elections, and this would, at worst, guarantee him a place in the Duma (the lower house of parliament). As to whether he will eventually become Prime Minister, Putin said this was a "realistic suggestion" but too soon to think about. Judging by the enthusiastic applause, the idea was well received.

The President said that two conditions needed to be met first. United Russia must win the election (but this is a certainty with Putin onboard and the fact that they already have a big lead), and secondly, the new president must be a "capable and modern person with whom I work as a team". But again, this is almost guaranteed as voters will support whoever Putin endorses for the position.

Since the break up of the Soviet Union and the introduction of an elected president, the position of Prime Minister has yielded little power. In Boris Yeltsin's time as president, the PM was usually a person who could be fired when results turned bad. Even Putin's previous selection as PM, Mikhail Fradkov, was more like the "invisible man"

However, times can change, and maybe the new president will adopt a role not unlike that of the British Queen, who is no more than a figurehead in the country. Clearly, the current PM Viktor Zubkov is the sort of person who would be willing to stand aside for Putin, and this may explain his appointment in the first place. But will Zubkov become president, or is this still going to be the long time favorite Sergei Ivanov?

Some have suggested that Putin will return as president at a later date, but if the Russian PM is given the power (as in Britain), does he really need to?

Russia has seen tremendous growth since Putin came onto the scene and a huge percentage of the public (and businesses) would like to see him stick around a lot longer. There are also many people around the world who see Putin as a stabilizing force against the present US government, and one of the few world leaders who has the courage to stand up to George Bush.

There are of course some who worry about Russia slipping back to Soviet style restrictions, and whilst too much power in the hands of a small group of people is always dangerous, that situation has not happened yet. In truth, there are less restrictions and media control in Russia than currently seen in the US, and those that do apply are designed to protect Russia from foreign influence and "financial rape", as witnessed when Boris Yeltsin was in power.

Russia has a fantastic future and will (in my opinion) takeover the position that America has held for so many years. Two factors have contributed to this event; the first is the leadership of one man (Putin), who will be remembered in the history books as a great leader of Russia. And the second is the apathy of the American people in letting their country be destroyed by the present administration, which have lied, cheated and killed its own people for personal gain. Bush will also enter the history books, but for all the wrong reasons.

However, if the American pride returns and the right leader is selected, a man or woman who truly cares about their country (and not their pockets), there is still a chance. But according to reports, Clinton looks to be favorite for the role of president in 2008, so don't expect any miracles too soon. There are other candidates, like Ron Paul for example, but the "controlled" media don't want you to know about people like him. So once again you will be guided into selecting a politician that is "approved" by the oil companies (and others), and a person who will continue waging wars to keep the arms sales going.