The proposal that Russian President Vladimir Putin become prime minister after the end of his presidential term is reasonable, Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov said on Wednesday in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk.
"The idea of potential presidential candidate (Dmitry) Medvedev that such a strong man as Putin become a future prime minister is quite clear and logical," Zubkov was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.
"Vladimir Putin should make his choice himself," he said.
"The government will continue to work as usual to prevent any failures in the operation of the social and industrial fields," Zubkov said.
The Cabinet will work until its resignation in May in compliance with the effective laws.
"We will then all resign together, including myself," Zubkov said.
Dmitry Medvedev, a nominated candidate for March's presidential election, on Tuesday proposed Putin as prime minister after leaving the Kremlin.
"As I confirm my readiness to run for Russian president, I request that he (Putin) gives his principal consent to head the Russian government after the new president is elected," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Medvedev as saying.
The United Russia, Fair Russia, and Agrarian and Civil Force jointly nominated Medvedev as the candidate for March's presidential election on Monday and he will be officially nominated presidential candidate at the United Russia congress on Dec. 17.
The support of four parties for a single candidate means there is a realistic chance of building a stable government in Russia, Putin has said.
The presidential race formally kicked off in Russia on Nov. 28 when the date for elections to choose a successor to Putin was set for March 2, 2008.
Under the constitution, the current president is barred from seeking a third term. Putin has pledged to step down next year but vowed to contribute to the nation after that.
Putin said on Oct. 1 that he may become prime minister on two conditions -- if the United Russia party won control of parliament and if a capable person he could work with as a team were elected Russia's President in March.
The United Russia Party has won overwhelmingly in recent parliamentary elections. It obtained 64.3 percent of the vote and won 315 parliamentary seats out of the 450 seats of the Duma, or lower house.
Source: Xinhua/agencies
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