Putin (R) said that he agrees to become prime minister if his appointed successor Medvedev (L) wins the presidential elections in March. File photo by doxa.ru
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he is ready to become prime minister next year if the presidential candidate he is backing wins the elections.
At a meeting of his United Russia party, Putin announced that he had accepted an offer from his close aid Dmitri Medvedev to take the prime minister's office if Medvedev wins the presidential elections scheduled for March.
Political experts said it is very likely that Putin's choice for successor, who is also the chairman of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, becomes the new president, as United Russia enjoys huge popular support in the country.
In a speech delivered at the party congress Putin called Medvedev "an exceptionally honest and decent man" and added that he will not be ashamed if people deliver control over Russia into the hands of such a person.
Putin himself cannot run for a third consecutive presidential term because of constitutional term limits, which he has vowed not to change.
In Russia, the prime minister has significantly less power than the president but Putin said that he would not seek to change the formal authority of either office.