PUTIN HOLDS ON

He had not much choice : either making a "coup" to continue his presidency despite the Constitution which permits only two elections or finding a legal process. He thought once (or the newspapermen thought for him) to have his wife elected as is currently done in South America but according to this ridiculous method Ludmila might revolt in as much as nobody knows her political ideas, apart from her domestic capabilities.
Therefore after the legislative elections he will be the president of the Council of Ministers, which he was already after his nomination by YELTSYN. It is to be noted that the latter has searched for and chosen a successor although this is never done anywhere. They hang on until their death.
Saying that the elections are not fair is a euphemism in this country which has experienced this cheating for 90 years. This is insignificant anyhow, the others are not capable of being elected, for lack of rubles or lack of organization. We would love to see a chess champion win the election and govern the country but this is a dream. They will need another 20 years to arrive at a true sort of democracy.

PUTIN (from the Russian word put' = the way) has the ideal age, he is a sportsman, no belly and appears to have a moderate sense of wisdom and is a patriot. What else can you ask if he is compared to the old alcoholic predecessors ?

Tchetchenia ? He inherited it; at best he leaves them. Who can prevent a nation becoming free if they want liberty ? Moreover with islam and islamists, it is beyond human forces to try to counteract and win.

Do you want a tsar, a resurrection of the ROMANOV ? It is no longer possible as autocrats and there is no longer any true Romanov capable of legally inherit the throne : grand duchess MARIA married and divorced a Hohenzollern (grandson of Wilhelm II) after birth of a son : George who therefore is not a Romanov. The true Romanov, they are a lot, are too far from the heir line.
('The present Romanov anyhow are of German descent : von HOLSTEIN-GOTTORP, two centuries ago)

PUTIN unless any accident occurs will therefore show the way for a very long time.

M.Th. 5 dec.2007