In ’12,President Putin 2.0

Putin’s nomination at a congress of the United Russia party end months of intense speculation as to whether he would seek to return to the Kremlin or whether he would allow the more mild-mannered and reform-leaning Medvedev to seek another term in next year’s election.

Despite apparently growing discontent among ordinary Russians with the party,United Russia exerts such an overwhelming presence in the country’s politics that Putin’s election and Medvedev’s switch to the premiership is virtually ensured.

Not only have genuine opposition parties been marginalised,but Putin’s personal popularity is immense among Russians who laud him as the strong and decisive figure needed by a sprawling country troubled by corruption,an Islamist insurgency and a vast gap between the impoverished and the grandiosely super-rich.

The presidential election,for which a date has not been set,is preceded by national parliamentary elections on Dec. 4,in which United Russia will seek to retain its dominance; the party has 312 of the 450 seats in the current parliament.

Putin started a carefully orchestrated series of maneuvers at Saturday’s session of the party congress by proposing that Medvedev head the party list for the December elections.

Medvedev then proposed that Putin be the party’s presidential candidate,and Putin returned to the stage to accept the proposal and express support for Medvedev as prime minister.

The congress approved the moves with no apparent opposition.JIM HEINTZ