Putin, Medvedev may name third candidate for president

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin may propose another candidate for the presidential elections in 2012, an official said.

“There are three equal scenarios – first, Medvedev; second, Putin; and third, some third person whose candidacy has already been coordinated by them (the president and prime minister,” said Sergei Mironov, former speaker of the Russian Federation Council.

Mironov currently heads the State Duma faction of the A Just Russia party.

He said Putin and Medvedev had already agreed upon everything but will not make their decision public before the start of the election campaign “because if one if them is announced as a candidate, the other becomes a lame duck”.

Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, Liberal Democratic Party head Vladimir Zhirinovsky and tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov also leader of the Right Cause party, are likely to join the presidential campaign, he said.

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