Putin says joint decision likely on 2012 election

BERLIN. November 26. KAZINFORM Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said he and President Dmitry Medvedev will make a "mutual decision" on who will run in the 2012 presidential polls, Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

"It is a question that I and the current Russian president have long been used to," Putin told an economic forum in Berlin on Friday.

"I will not tell you anything new," he went on. "We will see what the state the economy and the social sphere is in, and what the political situation is and make a mutual decision in the interests of the nation," he said.

Ever since Putin made way for his protege Medvedev in 2008, there has been speculation that he may return to the presidency in 2012.

Most Russians traditionally see Putin as the real power. However, there have been rumors of friction within the tandem, with analysts suggesting Medvedev may be starting to take a more independent stance, Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru