Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (R) and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin walk along tha stage to address the audience during the United Russia congress in Moscow September 24, 2011.(Agencies)

普京明年将重返总统宝座
Putin sets stage for return as Russian president

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ended months of speculation by saying he will run for president next March in an election that could open the way for him to stay in power for 12 more years.

Putin's announcement was greeted by a standing ovation on Saturday at a congress of his ruling United Russia party, but it alarmed critics who say his return to the presidency could herald an era of political and economic stagnation.

He and President Dmitry Medvedev have ruled in a power 'tandem' since Putin was forced by the constitution to yield the presidency in 2008 after serving a maximum two consecutive terms.

Putin, 58, accepted a proposal by Medvedev to return as president in the carefully choreographed congress in a Moscow sports stadium.

"I want to say directly: (Medvedev and I) reached an agreement between ourselves long ago, several years ago, on what to do in the future, on who should do what," Putin said.

"But both I and Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev believe that this is far from being the most important thing -- who will do what, who will sit in what place. What is far more important is something else: how we will all work, what results we achieve, and what the citizens of our country think of this."

Over 11 years in power, Putin has cultivated the image of a vigorous leader and been filmed riding bare-chested on horseback, scuba diving and showing off his judo skills. His policies -- crushing a Chechen separatist rebellion, taming super-rich businessmen and bringing wayward regions to heel -- have similarly won him popularity among Russians.

Putin, described in leaked US diplomatic cables as the "Alpha dog" in the tandem, proposed his younger and more liberal protege replace him as prime minister after the election to lead a young reformist government.

As president from 2000 to 2008, Putin oversaw an economic boom where household incomes improved on the back of a rise in global oil prices, and his tough talking and macho image helped restore Russia's self-confidence on the world stage.

Some economists say his return to the Kremlin makes it less likely that Russia will carry out much-needed changes such as pension reforms and reducing Russia's dependency on natural resources. Oil and gas revenues make up half the budget.

Others say Putin and Medvedev differ more in style than policy.

(Read by Christine Mallari. Christine Mallari is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

俄罗斯总理弗拉基米尔•普京日前表示，将于明年三月参选总统。如果顺利，他将在未来12年内领导俄罗斯。此前数月关于普京参选的猜测也终于告一段落。

普京在其领导的统一俄罗斯党代表大会上作出上述表态，众人听闻后长时间起立鼓掌。但有批评人士担心，普京重返总统职位会导致政治、经济新一轮停滞。

俄宪法规定，总统最多连任两届，普京迫于此规定，在2008年卸任总统，之后他和德米特里•梅德韦杰夫就开始了政权的“轮流交替”。

在莫斯科体育馆举行的精心设计的大会上，58岁的普京接受了梅德韦杰夫的建议，决定重回总统职位。

普京说：“直接说吧，我和梅德韦杰夫几年前就私下达成了协议，把未来的分工和角色问题说好了。”

“但我俩都认为，谁做什么，谁当总统，这绝不是最重要的。最重要的是，我们如何全心工作，将实现什么结果，以及民众怎么想。”

在11年的执政期内，普京树立了一个精力充沛的领导人形象，曾被拍到赤裸上身骑马、潜水，还展示过柔道功夫。镇压车臣分裂主义叛乱、制服富豪商人、使不安定的地区归顺等政策也使他在俄罗斯民众中树立了相当高的声望。

普京在之前遭泄露的美国外交电报中被描述为俄罗斯政坛交替中的“带头大哥”。他还提议自己年轻的新派门生在选举后接替总理职位，以树立政府的年轻改革派形象。

在2000年至2008年普京任职总统期间，随着全球油价上涨，俄罗斯家庭收入大增，经济一片繁荣。普京的强硬讲话和硬汉形象也帮助俄罗斯重树了在国际舞台上的自信。

有些经济学家认为，普京重返克里姆林宫后，俄罗斯将不大可能开展急需的改革措施，如退休金改革、降低自然资源依存度等。石油和天然气出口收入占俄罗斯财政预算的一半。

但也有人称，普京和梅德韦杰夫只是行事风格不同，政策大同小异。