Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ended months of speculation¹ by saying he will run for president next March in an election that could open the way for him to stay in power for 12 more years.

俄罗斯总理弗拉基米尔·普京日前表示，将于明年三月参选总统。如果顺利，他将在未来12年内领导俄罗斯。此前数月关于普京参选的猜测也终于告一段落。

Putin's announcement was greeted by a standing² ovation³（起立致敬） on Saturday at a congress of his ruling United Russia party, but it alarmed critics who say his return to the presidency⁴ could herald⁵（通报） an era of political and economic stagnation⁶（停滞） .

He and President Dmitry Medvedev have ruled in a power 'tandem⁷' since Putin was forced by the constitution to yield the presidency in 2008 after serving a maximum two consecutive⁸ terms.

Putin, 58, accepted a proposal by Medvedev to return as president in the carefully choreographed⁹（精心设计） congress in a Moscow sports stadium.

"I want to say directly: (Medvedev and I) reached an agreement between ourselves long ago, several years ago, on what to do in the future, on who should do what," Putin said.

"But both I and Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev believe that this is far from being the most important thing -- who will do what, who will sit in what place. What is far more important is something else: how we will all work, what results we achieve, and what the citizens of our country think of this."

Over 11 years in power, Putin has cultivated the image of a vigorous leader and been filmed riding bare-chested on horseback, scuba¹⁰ diving（轻便潜水） and showing off his judo¹¹（柔道） skills. His policies -- crushing a Chechen separatist rebellion, taming super-rich businessmen and bringing wayward regions to heel -- have similarly won him popularity among Russians.

Putin, described in leaked US diplomatic cables as the "Alpha dog" in the tandem（串联） , proposed his younger and more liberal protege replace him as prime minister after the election to lead a young reformist（改良主义的） government.

As president from 2000 to 2008, Putin oversaw¹² an economic boom where household incomes improved on the back of a rise in global oil prices, and his tough talking and macho（大丈夫） image helped restore Russia's self-confidence on the world stage.

Some economists¹³ say his return to the Kremlin makes it less likely that Russia will carry out much-needed changes such as pension reforms and reducing Russia's dependency on natural resources. Oil and gas revenues make up half the budget.

Others say Putin and Medvedev differ more in style than policy.