On the eve of the presidential elections in Russia in 2018, the Kremlin is in heated controversy as to whether to nominate Vladimir Putin his candidature or delegate authority to a controlled successor.

This was reported by the Russian opposition politician, former State Duma deputy Konstantin Borovoi in his blog on the site of the "Observer".

"These are not elections, this is the preservation of power. And it is clear that this is not the power of Putin alone, but of some such not very broad group that is interested in keeping Putin formally in power. Any weakening of power creates for them very high risks - for them personally and for their capital, "he explained..

According to Borovoy, today the Kremlin is considering several schemes for implementing a plan to preserve power.

As the Russian politician stressed, one of the schemes is to keep Putin as president, however this option is not currently dominant.

"Today in the Kremlin are considering several options, several ways to preserve power, creating an imitation of the transfer of power. But even such a transfer of power - formal, conditional, decorative, - is very dangerous. In any case, it is seen in the Kremlin as a dangerous step, fraught with all sorts of unexpected consequences, "he said..

According to Borovoi, today Kremlin experts speak of two main options for Putin's successor: the head of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin and the head of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko. In addition, according to him, there is a "reserve option" associated with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

However, as explained by the Russian politician, the option with the successor greatly increases the risks for Putin to retain power.

The danger, in his opinion, exists of two types: "The first is connected with the fact that after all the new president, the newly appointed or temporarily used president, can intercept the power. In this sense, by weakening Putin's power and, accordingly, in some arbitrary degree of speaking, the rules of the game. And the second option is connected with the fact that the reins of government will not be as tense as it was during Putin's time, they will not be so rigidly managed ".

"In essence, by appointing one of the candidates directly or indirectly, Putin prefers one of the groups. This can disrupt the current balance, "- explained the former deputy of the State Duma.

Borovoy predicted that the final decision on which of the schemes will be implemented will be taken in the Kremlin in September.

"While all the schemes have so many drawbacks that it's impossible to stop at one," he added..

As reported by the "Observer", previously a military analyst Alexei Arestovich predicted how Vladimir Putin will conduct his election campaign.

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