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Russian leader holds high-tech Q&A
Vladimir Putin takes questions from the public. And he won't seek a third term, he says.
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 26, 2006
MOSCOW - Vladimir Putin calmly counted on his fingers, pointed in the air and shuffled papers on the table. In a three-hour, nationally televised broadcast, the Russian leader played the roles of concerned father, populist politician and lecturing professor as he fielded questions from across Russia on subjects including agriculture, relations with Georgia, North Korea and a wave of contract killings. Wednesday's question-and-answer session - Putin's fifth since taking office in 2000 - broke little new ground, but it underscored his mastery of the arcane and the diverse. Putin jotted notes, carefully referred to questioners by name, and gestured and pointed as he recited arcane statistics such as the length of a highway. Correspondents from the state-run television networks chose questioners from among small crowds in towns and cities around the vast country. During past sessions, critics alleged that authorities and state TV reporters selected audiences allowed to go live with Putin and screened questions. Most of the more than 50 questions touched on bread-and-butter concerns like low salaries for public sector workers or high property taxes. None of the questions - posed by phone, e-mail, text message and video link from around the country - could be perceived as hostile or even challenging. Barred by Russia's constitution from running for a third consecutive term, Putin signaled that he expects to play a role in setting government policy after he leaves office in 2008. The 54-year-old Russian leader again fended off speculation that he might be considering a way to serve another term. Supporters and various regional groups have called for amending the country's laws to allow him to stay in power. "Despite the fact that I like my job, the constitution doesn't allow me to run a third time in a row," he told one questioner.
[Last modified October 26, 2006, 00:49:11]
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