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Putin Adds To Choices For Presidential Race

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By STEVE GUTTERMAN, The Associated Press

Published: September 15, 2007

MOSCOW - Vladimir Putin rewrote the rules for Russia's closely watched presidential succession on Friday, naming his new prime minister as one of a handful of people with a fighting chance of replacing him in the Kremlin come spring.

Putin anointed Viktor Zubkov as a strong candidate hours after parliament approved his nomination as premier. Zubkov's lightning-fast ascent from obscurity is seen as part of the Russian leader's plan to maintain tight control during a bruising election season and keep a hand on Russia's reins after he steps down.

'A year, a year and a half ago, people were saying that we have an empty field and there's nobody to choose from. Now they name a minimum of five people who can realistically aspire to be elected president of Russia in March 2008,' Putin said in televised remarks.

'If another realistic candidate emerges, then Russian citizens will be able to choose among several people,' he said.

The president stopped short of endorsing Zubkov over any other potential successor.

The remarks put Putin's stamp of approval on Zubkov, vaulting him to a prominent position in a race that had been dominated by two government officials who have been groomed for the role for over a year, Sergei Ivanov and Dmitry Medvedev.

Putin muddied the waters Wednesday when he dismissed Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and nominated Zubkov, a Soviet-era state farm director and Communist Party official who has kept a low profile for six years while running Russia's anti-money-laundering agency.

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