State Duma Speaker, United Russia Leader Boris Gryzlov gives a news conference devoted to the 9th Congress of United Russia, April 7, 2008.
Photo: Sergey Kiselev
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
United Russia to Give Putin Card
GZT.ru reports that the Chairman of the State Duma, Boris Gryzlov said the incumbent president Vladimir Putin will be offered to join the United Russia on the second day of the party convention, which is to take place from 14 to 15 of April.
According to the edition’s sources in the United Russia apparatus, Putin will be claimed the 2,000,000th member of the party. This is the reason why the admission of new members was suspended earlier. “Even though there will be no such a figure in the card, it will be played up, all the more so since the convention has been planned formalized,” stressed the paper’s interlocutor.
According to the edition’s source, after joining the party Putin will become its official leader, and Boris Gryzlov will confine himself to the post of the State Duma Chairman.
Mr Gryzlov underscored earlier that heading the federal list of the United Russia at the parliamentary elections in December, 2007 Putin formalized his relations with the party. At the same time Mr Gryzlov opines the fact that the elected president Dmitry Medvedev will become Supreme Commander-in-Chief won’t allow him to join the party because the military are legally prohibited from having party membership. “It’s clear that the Supreme Commander-in-Chief is not a military man, but in my view his status of the head of the armed forces is a kind of a hindrance to becoming the party’s member,” the Duma Chairman specified.
The inauguration of Dmitry Medvedev, also invited to the United Russia convention, is due to take place on May 7. Vladimir Putin will retain the status of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief till this date. According to the sources of the Vedomosti (“The Record”) paper, Putin’s admission can be officially registered after he steps down.
www.kommersant.com
|
|
|
