Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addresses the United Russia party congress in Moscow on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has proposed Vladimir Putin as presidential candidate for 2012, almost certainly guaranteeing Putin’s return to office. Medvedev made the proposal Saturday in an address to a congress of United Russia, the pro-Kremlin party that dominates Russian politics. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)