Moscow: The March 2012 presidential elections in Russia, which many think is a mere formality after President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced their decision to swap places, are taking on new, intriguing features.
The elections may even become a survival test for Russia’s political system, showing whether any political change in the leadership is possible. This has suddenly become very important to the general public. Putin’s victory is still a dead cert, yet the public wants to see the mechanism of “regime change” in motion, even if it is only a dry run. (IANS)