Izvestia: “Putin prepares Russia for change in leadership”
Putin's interview served as a continuation of President Dmitry Medvedev's recent conversation with the same three men. Most questions revolved around the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.
Putin joked a lot during the interview, spoke in aphorisms and warded off sudden attacks from the co-hosts.
Putin claimed that, during his tenure as president, he had decided not to tailor the Russian Constitution to his own needs by not establishing an unlimited number of presidential terms.
"I'm not clinging to my position," said Putin, gunning for his third presidential term in 2012.
At the same time, he said U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had been elected four times.
"Roosevelt managed to get elected four times. He led the country through the harsh times of the Great Depression and World War II, and he got elected four times because he acted effectively. The issue is not about the number of terms or the number of years in power. [Helmut] Kohl was chancellor of Germany for 16 years."
Putin said he and Medvedev had agreed four years ago that the people of Russia should experience a painless change in leadership.
Putin said they had agreed on the most plausible scenario many years ago, in case they would jointly go through these current hard times. "And so when the time came and we announced our decision, we presented it not as a done deal but as an issue which our fellow citizens must decide. Elections are the ultimate gauge," Vladimir Putin said.
The prime minister responded to the criticism of those who think that his decision to run for president has made a mockery of elections in this country. Putin said the opposition's main problem was that the government's opponents lacked a programme which can be effectively implemented.
Putin discussed Medvedev's subsequent work in the government. Putin said his colleague, who is part of the ruling tandem, had begun implementing Strategy 2020 (which he used to elaborate while being a cabinet member years ago) during his presidency. He will continue to do precisely this in the Government House, and it is more convenient to directly manage the economy from there, the prime minister said.
"If we take two or three steps in the wrong direction, things could go right back to the way they were before in the blink of an eye."
Putin was also asked about the upcoming government rotation. He explained that his habit of letting people keep their jobs for an extended period of time was motivated by the fact that the entire government must be held responsible for some emergency situation in one ministry and that a reprimanded minister must have a chance to rectify the situation.
"A government reshuffle only unveils the weakness of the country's leadership," Putin said. In his opinion, any leader must be ready to get rid of ineffective managers. Putin will have to deal with international affairs, if he returns to the Kremlin. In this regard, the prime minister was asked what he thought about the way Western politicians perceived him. Konstantin Ernst said many Western politicians associated Putin with a hawk.
"Well, the hawk is a good bird," Putin responded.
NTV Director General Vladimir Kulistikov made his own comparison in order to eclipse Ernst's metaphor.
"The government needs a special programme that would be like a good skirt on a girl: short and offering an attractive perspective."
"A short skirt looks good on some women, while others are better off wearing something else," Putin responded, disagreeing with Kulistikov's proposal.
Anastasia Novikova
