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#9 - JRL 2007-217 - JRL Home
Russian speaker says Duma poll 'referendum' on Putin's future as leader
Interfax

Moscow, 16 October: The leader of One Russia, (Duma speaker) Boris Gryzlov, believes that President Vladimir Putin will remain the country's leader after the election and that the Duma election in December will be a nationwide referendum on support for Putin.

"Vladimir Putin's role as leader will be reliably guaranteed by the One Russia party and its parliamentary majority," Gryzlov said in an article to be published in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta (official newspaper) on Wednesday (17 October).

"All resources will be used to make sure that Vladimir Putin continues to lead the country," Gryzlov stressed.

He said that "the forthcoming Duma election is not a struggle between parties for victory in constituencies as was the case last time, but essentially a nationwide referendum on support for Putin".

It is precisely on 2 December 2007 that the issue of the country's leader will be decided. That leader is, should be and will be Vladimir Putin," Gryzlov stressed.

He said that "Russia without Putin is a Russia with no leadership, Russia with no will, Russia that can be divided and managed at will, Russia that is a prey".

"It seems that that was the feeling of some people waiting for an answer to the question the president was being asked increasingly often, 'Will you go for a third term?". They see Putin's departure as Russia getting weaker. They are not going to see it. Putin will remain Russia's leader," Gryzlov said.