By IANS,
Moscow : Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ruled out Friday any possibility of holding early parliamentary elections but confirmed to make President Dmitry Medvedev the country’s next premier, RIA Novosti reported.
Putin, who is also a presidential candidate, said that he has plans to appoint current President Medvedev the prime minister in the next government should he win the March 4 elections.
“My offer to him and our agreement on such power sharing, it’s not only about [our] willingness to stay in power, but also to continue the reforms that have been launched,” Putin said during a meeting with editors of leading Western newspapers in his Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow.
When asked if he had plans to disband the Russian parliament’s lower house — the State Duma — and hold early polls if he won the March 4 elections, Putin said: “no”.
Mass street protests against the outcome of December 2011 parliamentary polls swept across Russia late last year.
Citing what the protesters called “mass vote fraud” in favour of Putin’s United Russia party, they have demanded that the State Duma be disbanded and early polls held.