Putin officially listed as Russian Presidential candidate

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been officially listed as the presidential candidate of the ruling political party in March 2012 elections. "United Russia puts forward our party leader Vladimir Putin as candidate for the post of Russian president," the party said in its election programme that was released late Friday on its website. President Dmitry Medvedev had nominated Putin during a party meeting last month. In December 4 parliamentary elections, Medvedev is to lead the list of candidates for United Russia. The party hopes he will then take over Putin's role as prime minister, according to a report of the German Press Agency "DPA".