Abc.es: The Opportunity for Putin

     (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/627012/Putin.jpg )

To read the full article, published January 4, click here:http://www.abc.es/opinion/abci-oportunidad-para-putin-201801041329_noticia.html

António Martins Da Cruz, the author of the article, along with the majority of other experts and observers has no real doubt about the identity of the expected election winner, it's the figure of his next Prime Minister that is of great interest to everyone. Da Cruz highlights three possible candidates: Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in charge of Defense industry; Alexei Kudrin, a prominent liberal politician and former Minister of Finance during Putin's and (until his resignation in September 2011) Medvedev's previous tenure as presidents; Denis Manturov, the current Minister of Trade and Industry of the Russian Federation.

The new Prime Minister needs to be a middleman capable of handling the currently fragile Russia-West relations and getting them back on track. All three mentioned candidates are, according to the author, acceptable, in different degrees, to the West and liberal Russian opposition, and have reputations as professionals. Da Cruz chooses Rogozin as the more likely candidate of the three, with the strong possibility of Kudrin and Manturov being appointed to positions in the new government under Rogozin.