Medvedev may announce presidential candidacy in fall

Russian presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich on Friday said President Dmitry Medvedev will not say whether he will run for reelection before fall.

Russia will hold presidential elections in March 2012.

“If nothing extraordinary happens, this statement should be expected no earlier than in the fall,” Dvorkovich, who is in charge of economic issues, told the Russia Today TV channel.

“President Medvedev has spoken clearly on this account. It’s necessary to maintain stability and act in line with the rules. The rules are that a relevant statement may be made only in fall, not in summer,” he said.

Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who have created a ruling tandem in Russia, have made clear that one of them will run in presidential elections on March 11, 2012.

At his biggest ever news conference in late May, Medvedev said it was to soon to say if he would run for president in the 2012 election but it will not be long before he announces his decision.

Medvedev, who succeeded Putin as Russia’s president in 2008, has presented himself as the more liberal side of Russia’s ruling tandem.