CIAO DATE: 08/2011
May 2011
European Union Institute for Security Studies
In the spring of 2012 Russians will go to polling stations to elect the country’s president for the 2012-2018 term. In actual fact, voters will formalise the choice that the top tier of Russia’s ruling elite will have made by the end of 2011, unless destabilising events disrupt the established procedures for holding presidential elections in Moscow. Both Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev have repeatedly suggested that they may run in the 2012 presidential election, but neither of them has announced an official bid so far and they have put considerable effort into keeping everyone guessing. When questioned, Putin and Medvedev say only that they will consult with each other in order to decide who will seek the presidency. There is little doubt that the outcome of these private consultations will determine who will be Russia’s president in 2012-2018, given the popularity of both these potential candidates and the questionable fairness of Russia’s recent elections.
Resource link: Alternative futures for Russia: the presidential elections and beyond [PDF] - 334K