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President Vladimir Putin said today he may run for a fourth presidential term in 2018, confirming the expectations of most Russians and frustrating those now working to restore free elections in Russia.
If Putin runs and wins, it would keep him in power for about a quarter century and make him the nation's longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Putin has largely rolled back on Russia's post-Soviet democratic achievements, sidelining the opposition, reducing the Parliament to a rubber stamp and establishing tight control over the media. He insisted that Russia, only two decades away from the fall of the Soviet Union, is determined to become a democracy, but would find its own path despite criticism from the West.
"The kind of government that Russia should have should be determined by Russian citizens and not by our esteemed colleagues from abroad," he said during an international conference, an annual event attended by Russia experts from the US and Europe.
Putin, who served two consecutive four-year terms starting in 2000, became prime minister in 2008 to observe a constitutional limit of two consecutive terms. He remained in charge as prime minister, with his loyal associate, Dmitry Medvedev, serving as a placeholder.
Medvedev initiated a law that extended the presidential term to six years, and Putin won a third term in 2012 despite major public protests in Moscow against his rule.
Putin addressed his future plans when challenged by former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon during the conference in Valdai, a wooded region in northwest Russia known for its pristine lakes. Fillon said he would not reveal whether he planned to run for president unless Putin answered the same question.
"And if I answer, will you?" Putin responded.
"We'll see," Fillon said.
"I don't exclude that," Putin said. To which Fillon added, "Me either."
Putin also took direct questions from Russian opposition figures about the protests and the rise of political activism they ushered in. He held out the possibility of amnesty for more than two dozen people arrested after clashes broke out with police during a protest on the eve of his inauguration.
They face charges of mass unrest that could send them to prison for years.
Putin said he "would not exclude" an amnesty, but said he would only act after the courts had ruled.
