Russia's surprise choice for new prime minister said on Thursday that he did not rule out running for president next year, adding to the uncertainty over who will replace Vladimir Putin when he steps down.
Putin nominated Viktor Zubkov, the little-known head of a money laundering watchdog, on Wednesday as the new premier in a move that confounded analysts who had expected a political heavyweight to be chosen.
Most observers predicted Zubkov, a virtual unknown who spent part of his career running a collective farm, would have a caretaker role while Putin endorsed a more high-profile figure to take over the Kremlin top job.
Putin gave nothing away when he said he sacked Mikhail Fradkov as prime minister and nominated Zubkov to ensure stability through a potentially turbulent election cycle.
“I expect all these changes will lead to the system of government in Russia functioning without hitches in the election period and after the election period,” Russian television showed Putin saying at a dairy farm in Belgorod region.
