After Vladimir Putin's announcement that he would not be averse to becoming the next prime minister, the prevailing guess is that after the March 2 presidential election he will head the Russian government under a new president. Yet before anyone begins to design a Russia policy based on this, its plausibility has to be examined. In the light of what we know about Putin and the political and economic system he has forged, he is more likely to find a way to continue in office as President Putin.

pretty much the conclusion we agreed on memestreams here Dec 2006

We'll always have Putin - International Herald Tribune