普京明年三月將參選總統

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ended months of speculation by saying he will run for president next March in an election that could open the way for him to stay in power for 12 more years。

俄羅斯總理弗拉基米爾·普京日前表示，將於明年三月參選總統。如果順利，他將在未來12年內領導俄羅斯。此前數月關於普京參選的猜測也終於告一段落。

Putin's announcement was greeted by a standing ovation on Saturday at a congress of his ruling United Russia party, but it alarmed critics who say his return to the presidency could herald an era of political and economic stagnation。

普京在其領導的統一俄羅斯黨代表大會上作出上述表態，衆人聽聞後長時間起立鼓掌。但有批評人士擔心，普京重返總統職位會導致政治、經濟新一輪停滯。

普京(左)與梅德韋傑夫

He and President Dmitry Medvedev have ruled in a power 'tandem' since Putin was forced by the constitution to yield the presidency in 2008 after serving a maximum two consecutive terms。

俄憲法規定，總統最多連任兩屆，普京迫於此規定，在2008年卸任總統，之後他和德米特里·梅德韋傑夫就開始了政權的“輪流交替”。

Putin, 58, accepted a proposal by Medvedev to return as president in the carefully choreographed congress in a Moscow sports stadium。

在莫斯科體育館舉行的精心設計的大會上，58歲的普京接受了梅德韋傑夫的建議，決定重回總統職位。

"I want to say directly: (Medvedev and I) reached an agreement between ourselves long ago, several years ago, on what to do in the future, on who should do what," Putin said。

普京說：“直接說吧，我和梅德韋傑夫幾年前就私下達成了協議，把未來的分工和角色問題說好了。”

"But both I and Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev believe that this is far from being the most important thing -- who will do what, who will sit in what place. What is far more important is something else: how we will all work, what results we achieve, and what the citizens of our country think of this."

“但我倆都認爲，誰做什麼，誰當總統，這絕不是最重要的。最重要的是，我們如何全心工作，將實現什麼結果，以及民衆怎麼想。”

Over 11 years in power, Putin has cultivated the image of a vigorous leader and been filmed riding bare-chested on horseback, scuba diving and showing off his judo skills. His policies -- crushing a Chechen separatist rebellion, taming super-rich businessmen and bringing wayward regions to heel -- have similarly won him popularity among Russians。

在11年的執政期內，普京樹立了一個精力充沛的領導人形象，曾被拍到赤裸上身騎馬、潛水，還展示過柔道功夫。鎮壓車臣分裂主義叛亂、制服富豪商人、使不安定的地區歸順等政策也使他在俄羅斯民衆中樹立了相當高的聲望。

Putin, described in leaked US diplomatic cables as the "Alpha dog" in the tandem, proposed his younger and more liberal protege replace him as prime minister after the election to lead a young reformist government。

普京在之前遭泄露的美國外交電報中被描述爲俄羅斯政壇交替中的“帶頭大哥”。他還提議自己年輕的新派門生在選舉後接替總理職位，以樹立政府的年輕改革派形象。

As president from 2000 to 2008, Putin oversaw an economic boom where household incomes improved on the back of a rise in global Oil prices, and his tough talking and macho image helped restore Russia's self-confidence on the world stage。

在2000年至2008年普京任職總統期間，隨着全球油價上漲，俄羅斯家庭收入大增，經濟一片繁榮。普京的強硬講話和硬漢形象也幫助俄羅斯重樹了在國際舞臺上的自信。

Some economists say his return to the Kremlin makes it less likely that Russia will carry out much-needed changes such as pension reforms and reducing Russia's dependency on natural resources. Oil and gas revenues make up half the budget。

有些經濟學家認爲，普京重返克里姆林宮後，俄羅斯將不大可能開展急需的改革措施，如退休金改革、降低自然資源依存度等。石油和天然氣出口收入佔俄羅斯財政預算的一半。

Others say Putin and Medvedev differ more in style than policy。

但也有人稱，普京和梅德韋傑夫只是行事風格不同，政策大同小異。