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Vladimir Putin has signaled he intends to remain, at least in the short term, Russia’s principal leader, although Dmitry Medvedev (rear) is the new president.
When Putin left the Kremlin, he took the pen with him.
Putin, who became prime minister Thursday, has signaled he intends to remain Russia’s principal leader, at least in the short term, and possibly much longer. He is keeping the trappings of his presidency and many of its powers.
Putin initially said he intended to hand the full powers of the presidency to his chosen successor and step aside. But as the time drew near, he clearly changed his mind as infighting between rival Kremlin factions spilled into the open, threatening to undermine political stability.
Veterans of the secret services have come to dominate the government under Putin, 55, a former KGB officer. These powerful figures have been given leading roles in major businesses that Putin brought back under state control.
They see Putin as the key to preserving their positions and continued access to financial flows. Some of them opposed Putin’s choice of Dmitry Medvedev, 42, a lawyer, who was inaugurated Wednesday as president.
Immensely popular, Putin appears to want Russians to see him as still in charge and to anticipate his return to the presidency in 2012, which he has not ruled out.
In a 45-minute speech Thursday before Parliament, Putin laid out huge ambitions for the economy and boasted that under his leadership, Russia “had not just changed but become a different country.”
Medvedev, by contrast, was a lackluster supporting player, introducing Putin in a bland five-minute address that underlined Putin’s potency.
While quietly laying the groundwork for expanding the scope of the prime minister’s office, Putin has firmed up his position by becoming chairman of the Kremlin’s dominant political party, which gives him control over Parliament and strong leverage over regional leaders.
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