Vladimir Putin: Russia's 2012 Presidential Election Campaign Will Be 'Dirty'

YEKATERINBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that the March 2012 presidential election campaign would be dirty, but stopped short of saying whether he would seek another stint as Kremlin chief.

Putin, Russia's most popular politician, made clear he would play a significant role in the election but told supporters he would need to cleanse politics after the campaign.

"I shall go to wash, in the hygienic sense of the word but also in the political sense," Putin said, when asked at a regional conference of his ruling United Russia party what he would do the day after the March presidential election.

"After all the campaigns which we shall have to endure, you have to be properly hygienic. Unfortunately, this is an inevitable process," he said.

"As Churchill said: Democracy is the worst form of government but there is no better one," Putin said in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.

Putin and his protege, President Dmitry Medvedev, have both repeatedly refused to say which of them will run in the March 2012 presidential election, which follows a parliamentary election in December.

(Reporting by Darya Korsunskaya, writing by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by Steve Gutterman)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[Albert Hoffman]

05:52 PM on 07/02/2011

I know as an American i am supposed to hate Putin but i'll tell you this... the man is more honest with his people than OUR politicians are. This is sad but true.

He might not be a champion of democracy but the guy saved Russia from the oligarchs and established the rule of law and economic prosperity. What have our leaders done for us in the last decade aside from squander our wealth on imperial adventures and murder leaders who stand up to our heavy-handed foreign policy??

If you take an unbiased look at Putin, he really is no worse than the puppet we currently have in Washinton!!

[Texasskier]

10:24 AM on 07/01/2011

What is he talking about? Who has been seeing the election in Russia for last 10 years? There is noo election if there aren't opposite parties. Now it isn't the election, it is only a muppet show, where Putin is a wire-puller.

[Grada3784]

07:59 AM on 07/01/2011

Mr. Putin. Come to to US to learn what dirty really is.

[ginger42]

05:44 AM on 07/01/2011

Putin is one of the nastiest folks, hugely tied to the oligarchs and mafia. But he must have good PR men--and he certainly duped W.

[eden4barack08]

04:31 PM on 07/01/2011

An ant could dupe W.

[Krek]

02:59 AM on 07/01/2011

Dirty as in mud, or dirty as in Polonium 210?

[Paperless Tiger]

07:21 PM on 06/30/2011

Putin looks fit enough go another round. He certainly brought Russia back from the brink after the oligarchs pillaged it following the fall of the USSR. He's probably relieved that they're busy pillaging the US now.

[GaddafismyHero]

06:42 PM on 06/30/2011

the level of propaganda against Russia and Putin is incredible, if you believe what the West's journalists write;
Putin is a criminal blood thirsty dictator who eats journalist's hearts
Russia started WWII
Russia should give gas to its neighbors at a 50% discount, when they are friendly with the west, Russia friendly states like Belarus should, of course, pay the market price.
Russia, contrary to all evidence and the EU's own conclusions, started the 2008 war with Georgia.
Saakashvilli is a saintly democrat (interesting how news from Georgia has dried up now that we know this isn't true)
Saint Yeltsin gave the Russians democracy (as opposed to unnecessary wars, media control, rigged elections, bankruptcy and mass corruption)
Putin has had to contend with no serious issues since taking power (amazing how the stability and relative prosperity, compared to the criminality of the 1990s is ignored)
Putin is a womanizing showman who loves the image of his own body (not simply an active and healthy man who poses for the same kind of photo opportunities all politicians do)
Putin is single handedly responsible for creating Chechen terrorism (even though Chechnya and general security across Russia is infinitely better than 15 years ago).
Russia is an aggressive and nasty neighbor (Russia by the way has only been fought one international war in the last 20 years - how many for the US and UK, justified or not?)
All of the above is of course ridiculous but we are fed this crap repeatedly.

[1BadBob]

07:01 PM on 06/30/2011

Great post F&F

[EveAngelReturns]

08:56 PM on 06/30/2011

Putin is an amazing man

[Albert Hoffman]

12:09 AM on 07/03/2011

Indeed he is. Putin is responsible for establishing the rule of law again in his country. He's done much more for the Russian people than any US president has since he's been in power. American media hates on him constantly because they don't want to see a strong Russia... they liked it better when Russia was being raped by the greedy oligarchs.

Of course he is not exactly a champion of democracy... but all the democracy talk US politicians spew is nothing more than self-righteous posturing. The people have no more a say in major policies here than do the Russians. At least Putin isn't warmongering around half of the globe and violating the sovereignty of weaker nations for their oil and political submission!!

As you can see I am a fan of the man regardless of what CNN tells me :)

[knewsreply]

06:36 PM on 06/30/2011

We've seen "Dirty" with previous Russian elections. Does this mean that this will exceed the "Dirt" and resulting actions against the losers we've seen since WWII ended?

[Kyle Emerick]

06:35 PM on 06/30/2011

Considering he can leap a building in a single bound, yes. Rigged it will be.

[Piglet2]

06:30 PM on 06/30/2011

Plastic surgery anyone?

[eden4barack08]

04:37 PM on 07/01/2011

Botox, thank you.

[Piglet2]

06:29 PM on 06/30/2011

Dirty? Don't you mean deadly?

[Simondj]

06:28 PM on 06/30/2011

"A Russian Diary: A Journalist's Final Account of Life, Corruption, and Death in Putin's Russia."

[ginger42]

06:20 AM on 07/01/2011

Yes, this is what Russia under Putin is actually like

[1BadBob]

06:26 PM on 06/30/2011

No dirtier then here ... think about it the re thugs steal elections any way they have to to get it done

[ginger42]

06:21 AM on 07/01/2011

At least we don't have the political killings that Russia has

[StansDad]

06:26 PM on 06/30/2011

Putin is ex KGB who will rule russia in 2 session lapses with one in between each session headed by his minion with him as second in command. If it's one thing russia is known for, it's a population that continually capitulates to a big strong leader who will promise a big strong government with a big strong military.

[1BadBob]

06:14 PM on 06/30/2011

If Putin was prez here he would make congress work things out! cause they know they and their lobbiests would be goners. Russia is a better place then USA I have been there 10 times. Russia is like the 50's 60's 70's here

[StansDad]

06:24 PM on 06/30/2011

I agree, it is very much like the 50's in that the government is an abusive imperialist power with mindless pro-government anti-individuals like yourself validating your useless existence by making yet more platitudes such as this in a pathetic attempt to praise what is obviously a ruthlessly corrupt government headed by a member of the friggen KGB.

[1BadBob]

06:59 PM on 06/30/2011

I am sure you are a pro about Russia... ever even been there? You listen to western news that is not even close to what goes on there