[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith Presidential elections scheduled for next March, Russian President Vladimir Putin, revealed he might not leave the presidency. Asked what he plans to do when he leaves the presidency during a question-and-answer session at a Sochi school, Putin, paused and smiled. “But I haven’t decided yet if I will leave the presidency,”
The session was designed to make Putin seem youth-friendly after recent youth demonstrations
Putin’s response drew laughter and applause from an audience made up almost entirely of Russians who were born after he first became president in 2000.
Putin is widely expected to stand and win another six-year term. An opposition politician, Alexei Navalny, who organised a recent round of protests, has said he would like to stand but his name is unlikely to be allowed on the ballot paper.
Putin spent three hours speaking with the assembled children, in a session broadcast live on Russian television. Those present appeared to have been screened to ensure there would be no hostile questions.
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