A Collective Czar

Vladimir Putin's announcement today that he is running for Parliament solves the main question that's vexed the Kremlinology guessing game: How would he retain influence after leaving office in March given that any new president was bound sooner or later to be territorial and jealous of his own prerogatives?

The answer: Putin has shifted that debate over to the Duma, which now will find it to its enormous self-interest to change Russian law to a strong parliamentary system. With Putin as its leader, the United Russian party will annoint itself the collective czar. Here is the AP story on Putin's announcement.

Who will be president? Right now, Putin is trying out Viktor Zubkov, the prime minister he named last month. But it almost doesn't matter -- Putin will select whoever he thinks will be easier to get along with as prime minister. Sergei Ivanov or Dmitri Medvedev are still in the running for that spot.