Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, has proposed Vladimir Putin, the current prime minister, as presidential candidate for 2012, almost certainly guaranteeing Putin's return to office.
Medvedev made the proposal on Saturday in an address to a congress of United Russia, the pro-Kremlin party that dominates Russian politics.
Al Jazeera's Neave Barker reports from Moscow.
Ещё видео!