Nezavisimaya Gazeta: “Putin makes his choice”
The live broadcast of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's question-&-answer session has determined the prospects of the next presidential campaign.
The live broadcast of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's question-&-answer session was probably one of the brightest events of the outgoing year. Not a single question caught him unawares. His answers were meaningful, clear-cut, and substantiated. He only used a florid style when answering a question about his presidential future, although nobody had any doubts about his intentions.
It would seem that the prime minister's forum with the people was orchestrated to the minutest detail. Putin, who has gotten used to competing only with himself in the last few years, set a new record. The live broadcast "Conversation with Vladimir Putin Continued" lasted for more than four hours. However, he did not even look tired. To the contrary, he obviously seemed to derive pleasure from the experience.
The prime minister spent the past year travelling around the country and meeting employees of major industrial enterprises. Putin did everything to demonstrate that he is close to the common people and will not leave them in the lurch during the economic crisis. During his live broadcast he spoke to the residents of single industry cities that he visited in the last few months. It seemed like he was ready to respond to any request.
Putin presented himself as the real master of the situation -- one who is capable of resolving even the most intricate problems. The expert community even concluded that Putin had launched a presidential campaign, although he gracefully evaded the question about his plans on taking part in the elections of 2012. He merely explained that there was enough time and that it was still too early to think about the elections. Earlier, he said that before the elections he and President Dmitry Medvedev will sit down and "strike a deal" on the issue.
Those who watched his live broadcast came to the conclusion that Putin will again become president in 2012. There are reasons to think so. When Putin was asked whether he would like to retire and have a good time, he said: "In your dreams!" Even Medvedev's statement about his plan to consider running for a second term did not drop a hint of doubt about Putin's intention to retake the presidency.
True, the correlation of forces became clear even earlier – at the United Russia congress in St Petersburg, where Putin actually made an annual address to the political elite. He did it in the same way as in the years of his presidency, when he addressed the Federal Assembly. Putin listed all the successes of his government, praised the anti-crisis measures, set forth specific tasks for the future, and gave many assignments to his party. As opposed to Medvedev, he spoke positively about the development of the country during the crisis and never mentioned economic modernisation.
