Putin says new PM could be presidential contender
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday newly-appointed prime minister Viktor Zubkov might be a contender for next head of state if he performs well in his new job.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Thursday for a powerful parliament and unchanged policies after he leaves the Kremlin, hinting he may go on to use a power base in parliament to dominate the country.
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MOSCOW, Sep 17 (IPS) - The appointment of obscure politician Viktor Zubkov  as new Prime Minister by President Vladimir Putin raises critical  questions about the political successor to the presidency.
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Party unanimously chooses Dmitry Medvedev as presidential candidate, as Putin says he would be happy to serve as prime minister
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed his two most likely replacements in parallel positions in government to give them an equal chance ahead of expected presidential elections in 2008, Russian newspapers have said.
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Vladimir Putin began a state visit to Kiev yesterday with a television interview in which he held out the possibility of favourable treatment to Ukrainians, a move thought likely to be helpful to the pro-Moscow candidate in next Sunday&#39;s presidential
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MOSCOW, Feb. 15 -- President Vladimir Putin promoted Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to the post of first deputy prime minister Thursday, an elevation that immediately intensified speculation that Putin might favor him as his successor.
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The Russian president promoted of Sergei B. Ivanov, who is considered a contender to succeed him.
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Vladimir Putin, due to step down as  Russian president next year, backs the idea of allowing his  successors to serve longer terms in the Kremlin but insists  their stay should not be open-ended.
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President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called for a new global economic framework that would emphasize regional alliances.
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Russian papers wonder what President Putin's nomination of Viktor Zubkov as PM means for the presidential election.
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MOSCOW, Dec. 17 -- President Vladimir Putin said Monday that he will accept the post of prime minister next year if, as is almost certain, his anointed successor Dmitry Medvedev is elected president in March.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin  dismissed his prime minister on Wednesday, clearing the way for  him to appoint a new premier who is likely to become the  leading candidate in an election for president next March.
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MOSCOW, Sept. 12 -- President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday nominated a longtime associate who is a largely anonymous figure to be the country's new prime minister, scrambling predictions about who will be the Kremlin-backed candidate in next March's presidential election.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that opposition groups should have more outlets for expressing their views.
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President Vladimir Putin described the foreign spy service on Friday as one of Russia's key institutions and said the appointment of ex-Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov as its head could only enhance its authority.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, who openly backed Viktor Yushchenko's rival for president of the Ukraine, said Tuesday he could work with an administration headed by the pro-Western candidate.