MOSCOW ? Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Sunday sternly warned the West against interfering in Russia's elections in a speech before thousands of cheering supporters as he formally launched his presidential bid.
Putin, who stepped down in 2008 after two presidential terms but kept his hold on power, announced in September that he intended to reclaim the top job next year and on Sunday was formally nominated by his United Russia party.
The boisterous televised congress also was aimed at boosting support for Putin's party ahead of parliamentary elections one week away.
A veteran steel worker, a businessman, a farmer, a decorated military veteran and a film director stood up during the event to praise Putin as the only man capable of leading the country. The 11,000 delegates filling a Moscow sports arena chanted "the people trust Putin!"
"Our task is to build a strong, rich and prosperous Russia, a Russia of the 21st century," Putin told the congress.
He promised to strengthen the economy, improve living standards and social services and bolster the military. Putin also said he would pursue his project of forming a Eurasian Union that would boost integration among Russia and its ex-Soviet neighbors.
He used the occasion to lash out at the opposition, accusing his critics of playing a role in the Soviet collapse and robbing the country during the economic meltdown of the 1990s.
He said that Russia wants to develop cooperation with the West, but strongly warned it against paying too much attention to the Kremlin's critics and offering them financial support.
"We know that ... representatives of some countries meet with those whom they pay money, the so-called grant receivers, give them instructions and guidance for what 'work' they need to do to influence the election campaign in our country," Putin said.
"That's a wasted effort, like throwing money to the winds," he said.
Putin said those like the United States and European Union who provide grants to Russian non-governmental organizations "would do better using this money to pay back their domestic debt and stop conducting such a costly and inefficient foreign policy."
Putin has promised to make President Dmitry Medvedev his prime minister after the presidential vote in March. The planned job swap has angered many in Russia, who warn it will strengthen authoritarian tendencies and set the stage for Putin to serve as president for 12 more years and become the longest-serving leader since Communist times.
Recent polls have shown that United Russia's public approval ratings have plummeted, reflecting people's fatigue with what many perceive as the party of corrupt bureaucracy. Surveys predict that United Russia will maintain a majority in the lower house, but lose the current two-thirds majority allowing it to change the constitution.
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