By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he may run for the country’s presidency in the 2012 elections, in which he could be pitted against President Dmitry Medvedev.
Medvedev, an ally of Putin, was put forward as a presidential candidate in 2008 because Putin could not run for a third consecutive presidential term.
“Neither me nor Dmitry… have ruled this out that each of us could be a candidate in the race,” Putin said.
He said the decision would have to be made at some point but it was too early now.
“We will proceed from the real situation closer to the elections.”
“If we make any erroneous indications now, half of the administration and over a half of the government would stop working in anticipation of some kind of changes,” the prime minister said.
“Everyone must sit at his desk day in and day out and ‘hoe their field’ like St. Francis. We have 143 million people in our country, and cannot afford any disruptions,” Putin said.