Putin launches election website - but refuses to debate rivals

Jan 12, 2012, 14:08 GMT

Moscow - Prime minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday said he would make Russia a top player in the international arena and improve the economy, if the voters choose him president in upcoming March elections.

A Putin campaign platform published on the website www.putin2012.ru also promised increased salaries for state employees, pension hikes, more investment in education and increased government spending on social services and roads.

However, Putin was unlikely to debate against rival opponents on television because of a tight work schedule and the need to campaign, said Putin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, in comments reported by the Interfax news agency.

Putin in the campaign manifesto said his next administration would aggressively promote Russia's interests worldwide and continue wide-reaching modernisation of the country's military.

'We will not allow the rules of international politics and economics to be decided behind our back,' he said. 'International cooperation is a two-way street.'

Coming in the wake of December street demonstrations by tens of thousands of Russians against alleged fraud in parliamentary elections won by Putin's United Russia party, the platform also hinted, slightly, at possible pro-democracy concessions.

'We need to rethink our whole system of security organs. The judiciary must support rights of people, not fight against them,' Putin said in part.

Putin has already served two terms as Russia's president, from 2000-2008.

The 3,400 word campaign platform for Putin's third term was for the most part long on promises and short on specifics.

Corruption - according to many Russians one of the country's most insidious and enduring problems - was mentioned only twice: once to concede it existed, and once to state a Putin administration would fight to reduce it.

On the economic front, Putin said Russia should create high-paying jobs by shifting from raw materials extraction to processing, and by promoting value-added production in the energy, high tech, chemical and machine-buiding industries.

Putin is widely considered the favourite in the upcoming March 4 vote, but independent survey groups have estimated his popular support is eroding and, if the drop continues, he could fail to win the election outright and face an embarrassing run-off against the next best finisher.

A early January poll estimated Putin had 38 per cent support, a drop of 17 points from his popularity in mid-2011.