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PM Medvedev says not viewing himself as Russian presidential candidate

Dmitry Medvedev said he likes his current job

MOSCOW, November 30. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said he does not consider himself as a candidate in the upcoming Russian presidential election.

"As far as I am concerned personally, in the current political season I don’t see myself in this quality," Medvedev said in his annual live interview with Russian TV channels, answering a question if he was ready to run for president.

"But certainly I will continue working," Medvedev added.

"I’m probably lucky in life, I have always liked what I do. Both when I was a student and when I was a post-graduate student and a young teacher, and when I started doing legal practice and dealing with some business issues. After that when I was invited to Moscow and I started working in the presidential administration, then led the presidential administration, then started working in the government and then I was elected as the country’s president. And now I’m the chairman of the government. All this is a very interesting work," Medvedev said when asked if he likes to be a prime minister.

Russia’s presidential election is due on March 18, 2018. The election campaign will begin officially on a yet-to-be determined date between December 7 and 17. The incumbent president, Vladimir Putin, has made no statements yet, either, about his participation or non-participation in the election of the head of state in 2018.

Medvedev said the ruling United Russia party will support Putin in case he makes a decision to run for the next presidential term.