Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said he will soon decide whether to seek reelection next year and hinted at a desire to change tacks from the policies of his predecessor and current prime minister, Vladimir Putin.
Medvedev said in an interview with China’s CCTV before a visit to China that Russia’s economy needs to drift away from Putin’s economic model if it wants to change.
“What was good 10 years ago isn’t good today,” Medvedev said.
Both Medvedev and his mentor Putin did not rule out standing for the March 2012 presidential election.
“I do not rule out that I will run for a new term as president,” Medvedev said. “A decision will be made, moreover, in the fairly near future because there is less than a year remaining.”
Medvedev took over the Kremlin in 2008 after Putin served two terms as president.
They have repeatedly said they would agree who would run to avoid competing with each other, but neither has so far confirmed his plans.
compiled from Reuters and other agency reports