Putin's Plan to Stay in Power

[shrike]

It has long been assumed that President Vladimir Putin, whose term of office expires next March, would prefer to remain in power. But how he might try to do so while operating within the terms of Russia's constitution has been a source of endless speculation. On Monday, Putin provided what may be the answer, when he announced that he would head the list of the ruling United Russia (UR) party in December's election to the Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament. While it may sound like a step down for an executive president to run for a seat in a legislature that has largely served as a rubber stamp to his policies, the move suggests that Putin may opt to reorganize the Russian power structure — if he can't hold on to the seat of power, he could always shift power to a seat he can hold. The practice of putting a "power engine" at the top of a party's electoral list is well-established in Russian democracy. Usually a cabinet minister or regional boss, this figure heads the list as a vote-getter, but then steps aside to allow others to take his seat and leadership role. Putin, however, may have something bigger in mind than simply helping the electoral prospects of the party of his creation, which was bound to win the Duma election anyway. Indeed, he made his intentions clear in pledging, to a standing ovation, that should the party carry the election and a worthy successor replace him as president, he could agree to become prime minister in 2008.

Putin's Plan to Stay in Power - TIME
Russia has a long way toward democracy.IMO it moving backwards.