Medvedev backs party that wants him to run in 2012

GORKI, Russia – President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday praised a metals tycoon, whose party backs a second term for the Kremlin chief, and said they had similar views of Russia’s future, a sign of support before parliament elections.

Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, 46, was last Saturday elected leader of Russia’s Right Cause party, which has supported Medvedev’s re-election in a presidential poll next March, in which either Medvedev or Prime Minister Vladimir Putin may run.The presidential vote will be preceded by a parliamentary election, where Prokhorov’s party will try to challenge Putin’s ruling United Russia party and the Communist Party, the second biggest in Russia.Medvedev, 45, who previously said he could lead a political party in the future, said he supported the ideas of Prokhorov’s Right Cause during a meeting with the party leader in his residence in Gorki.’Many of your ideas correlate with mine,’ Medvedev said. ‘It is evident that the centralisation of power in any state, even in such a complex federal state as Russia … cannot last forever.’He said that Russia’s political and electoral system need reform in order to become less bureaucratic and more efficient.Medvedev, who has styled himself as a champion of democracy, has long criticised the system of top-down rule, carved out by his predecessor Putin, president between 2000 and 2008, who steered him into power upon facing a constitutional ban to serve a third straight term himself.Last Saturday Prokhorov chided the country’s system of centralised rule, introduced by Putin, and said jailed ex-oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky should be freed on parole, echoing earlier remarks by Medvedev.Most experts believe Putin plans to return to the Kremlin himself in next year’s election. But many reformists would prefer Medvedev to stay on, believing he is more sympathetic to their cause.Medvedev has vowed to modernise the country’s ailing Soviet infrastructure and reduce its dependence on energy exports, but analysts say his efforts have fallen short more than three years through his presidency and he has failed to form his own team of reformers in the cabinet, chaired by Putin.- Nampa-Reuters