MOSCOW: Vladimir Putin dropped the heaviest hint so far that

he aims to return to his former post as president in 2012, a move that could see him still in the Kremlin in 2024 - aged 72. Speaking to a group of international scholars and journalists at his country residence, the Russian prime minister refused to quash rumours that he would return as president when Dmitry Medvedev finished his first term.

He said the process of deciding who would be president would follow the same pattern as in the run-up to the last election, when Putin effectively called all the shots and picked Medvedev as his successor. An election took place, but the result was a foregone conclusion.

“Was there any competition in 2007? No. Then we won’t have this in 2012,” Putin said. Smiling broadly, he added: “We will agree because we are people of one stamp. We will take all these things into account and then decide.” Putin even sought to use Britain as a defence of the Russian example of a ruling elite deciding over the head of the people who should lead the state.

“Look at Great Britain, when a friend of mine [Tony Blair] retired and automatically promoted Gordon Brown to the post of prime minister. Did the people of Great Britain participate in this? Whereas when my term expired I supported Dmitry Medvedev because I thought he was the best person to be leader, and I was right.” Putin’s comments to the annual session of the Valdai Club, a group of foreign and Russian experts, raise the prospect that his era, which began in 2000, could extend for at least another decade. Under Russia’s new constitution the next president is entitled to stay in power for two consecutive six-year terms.

Medvedev has been struggling hard to emerge from Putin’s shadow and the prime minister’s latest comments will not help his efforts to put an individual stamp on his term of office. His power remains largely declarative and on Thursday he delivered a withering assessment of the state of his country, while avoiding any direct reference to Putin.