MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin, rebutting suspicions that he intends to formally retain power beyond the end of his second term, said Thursday that he wants to hand over the existing constitutional powers of the presidency to a successor.
Putin’s comment was made after a three-hour televised question-and-answer session with citizens, during which Putin reaffirmed that he will step down next spring.
Putin indicated earlier this month that he might consider becoming prime minister after leaving the presidency. Many observers interpreted the comment as a sign that he fully intended to become prime minister, and they speculated that he would seek a revision of the constitution to transfer some of the presidency’s powers to the prime minister’s post.
But Putin’s statements Thursday amounted to a declaration that he is prepared to allow his successor to hold the same formal powers that are now in his hands.
“I am against cutting presidential powers,” Putin said. “In my view, at least, doing that in the near future would be a mistake.”
In his annual live broadcast, Putin took televised questions from selected citizens, fielded telephone queries and answered questions sent by the Internet. Many of his answers stressed that Russia’s growing economy was bringing higher living standards. He pledged greater investment in infrastructure and maintenance of a strong military.
Putin had particularly sharp words for U.S. policy in Iraq. He charged that “one of the (U.S.) goals is to establish control of the country’s oil reserves,” and he implied that Russia needed to remain militarily strong to avoid a similar fate. He also implied that U.S.-led forces in Iraq were fighting against the country’s people.
“You can overthrow a tyrannical regime, like that of Saddam Hussein’s,” Putin said. “But fighting the people is a hopeless case. Thank God Russia is not Iraq. Russia has enough arms and people to protect itself and its interests, both on its own soil and in other regions of the world.”
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