Medvedev Boosts Putin's Bid to Retain Power

Vladimir Putin's bid to retain power after his term as president expires was bolstered today when his preferred successor, Dmitry Medvedev, said he wanted Putin to become prime minister.

Yesterday, Putin backed Medvedev as his preferred candidate in presidential elections in March. Today, Medvedev, an economic liberal, returned the favor by suggesting that Putin would become prime minister after the election.

The arrangement would give Putin the platform to return as president at a later date.

Putin is prohibited by law from running for a third consecutive term, but wants to retain a powerful role.

Putin's endorsement of Medvedev all but guarantees that he will win the presidential election and he is then expected to amend the constitution to increase the prime minister's powers. Such a move would be rubber stamped by the new parliament which is dominated by pro-Putin politicians elected earlier this month.

After the March poll, Putin is expected to retain influence over Russia's security services, including the military and the Federal Security Bureau (FSB), the successor to the KGB, which he headed before becoming president in 2000.

In a television address, Medvedev said: "Having expressed my readiness to run for president of Russia, I appeal to [Putin] with a request to give his principal agreement to head the Russian government after the election of the new president of our country."

Medvedev also said that, after the election, the country must continue to pursue the policies driven by Putin over the past eight years.

"It is not enough to choose a new president, who can divide up all those responsibilities. It's no less important to preserve the capable team formed by the current president," he said.

His remarks suggest that he could become a president in name only, with Putin retaining the real power.

Medvedev has a reputation as being more emollient than the spiky Putin. But he continued Putin's style of rhetoric in a message to the west in his television address.

"The world's attitudes toward Russia has been changed. They don't lecture us like schoolchildren. They respect us and they reckon with us. Russia has been returned to its overwhelming position in the world community," he said.

Medvedev also praised efforts under Putin to restore the country's armed forces. "Our military defense and security have been increased," he said.

Medvedev is not considered a Kremlin hardliner, in contrast to the others who had vied for Putin's endorsement - chiefly his fellow first deputy prime minister, Sergei Ivanov.

Earlier today, Medvedev said he intended to improve Russia's welfare services. "We need to convert the successes that have been achieved in recent years into social and economic programs," he was quoted by Reuters as saying.