Putin bolsters post-presidency powers with party role

2.45pm BST

* Luke Harding in Moscow
* guardian.co.uk,
* Tuesday April 15 2008

Vladimir Putin today consolidated his long-term grip on power when he agreed to lead the United Russia party after he steps down as president next month and becomes prime minister.

Putin accepted the offer to become chairman of the pro-Kremlin party at its congress in Moscow. "I am ready to undertake additional responsibility and become the head of United Russia," Putin told delegates.

Although Putin campaigned openly for the party before last December's parliamentary elections, and agreed to head its parliamentary list, he had previously declined all offers to take over as party chairman.

Today's move entrenches his position as the dominant figure in Russian politics, despite the fact he steps down as president on May 7, handing over to his handpicked successor, Dmitry Medvedev. The two men will run Russia in a power-sharing tandem.

As prime minister, Putin will control Russia's government. His new party post will give him additional sweeping powers over the Duma, Russia's lower house, where United Russia has 315 out of 450 seats, as well as over regional legislatures, which are dominated by United Russia.

Analysts said Putin's long-term strategy was unclear. Some believe that he intends to return as president in 2012. Others are convinced he would like to retire from politics once Medvedev has established himself as a credible and popular leader.

By becoming party chairman, Putin has made himself virtually unsackable, observers pointed out. In the past, presidents Boris Yeltsin and Putin frequently fired prime ministers, whose tenure in the job was often unhappy and brief.

"He is definitely going to be the most powerful prime minister in Russia's recent history," Nikolai Petrov, a scholar in residence at the Carnegie Moscow Centre, told the Guardian today. "He will keep his hands on a lot of different institutions. The post will become influential. He will also have a lever to deal with regional political elites."

Asked whether Putin was planning a presidential comeback, Petrov said: "His psychology is to avoid making a final decision for as long as possible. He prefers to rely on his intuition. But my feeling is that his major plan is not to come back."

Putin will not become a member of United Russia, even though he has agreed to be its chairman. Medvedev today turned down a similar offer to join the party.

Putin's personal popularity ratings are consistently higher than those of United Russia, which is the country's main party of power. It has traditionally been associated with drab bureaucrats, unprincipled businessmen, mediocre film and sports stars, and bad rock bands.

Some experts believe that Putin's decision to lead the government could backfire on him as Russia is buffeted by the global economic crisis. During his eight years as president, Putin has put off difficult strategic and economic reforms, leaving them instead to his successor in the Kremlin.