Medvedev pushes Putin for president

MOSCOW, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the main task of the ruling United Russia Party is to make Vladimir Putin a "worthy" 2012 presidential candidate.

"Our task is to do our best to make Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin win the elections worthy so that he can confirm the credibility that he has had for a long time," Medvedev told party members Saturday.

The president did not, however, offer any details on what must be done to make Putin win the presidential race, RIA Novosti reported.

On Thursday, during his annual televised question-and-answer session, Putin said he considered himself the top candidate in the presidential race.

"I think I am," Putin said when answering a question about who he thinks is the main contender in the election, adding that he "should be clear and understandable for people and avoid mistakes."

Other candidates in the race are the leader of A Just Russia Party, Sergei Mironov, the head of the nationalist LDPR Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, liberal Yabloko Party's head, Grigory Yavlinsky, and two independent candidates, Irkutsk Gov. Dmitry Mezentsev and billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov.