Support The Moscow Times!

Putin Warns of Dirty Presidential Election

YEKATERINBURG — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that the 2012 presidential election campaign would be dirty, but stopped short of saying whether he would seek another stint in the Kremlin. 

Putin made clear he would play a significant role in the election and 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 election. 

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

Putin's remarks appeared aimed to portray the December State Duma elections and the presidential vote as hard-fought contests, contradicting critics who say government control of the levers of power means results are preordained. 

They also sounded like a warning to opponents of United Russia that they were in for a no-holds-barred battle. 

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

Putin and his protege, President Dmitry Medvedev, have indicated one of them, but not both, might run in the presidential election. 

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more