Acting Moscow Mayor Vladimir Resin may stay in office for the next two years, a respected business daily said on Thursday, citing a number of sources.
Speculation that the acting mayor may remain in charge of the Russian capital increased after Resin, 74, joined the pro-Kremlin United Russia party on Wednesday.
Resin hinted to his close associates after a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that he may continue to serve as Moscow mayor until 2013, a United Russia's source told Vedomosti
But Resin told the daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that his membership of the ruling party was not part of a bid to remain in office.
"No, no, no! It is completely unrelated to this," Resin said, adding that "a person at least 20-25 years younger than me" should be mayor.
United Russia will present a list of candidates for Moscow mayor to President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday. The party's general committee will convene on Friday night or Saturday morning to agree a final list of three or four hopefuls.
Resin was appointed acting Moscow mayor after Yuri Luzhkov, who had headed Moscow since 1992, was fired by the Russian president last week after weeks of speculation that he would either step down or be sacked amid his worsening relations with the Kremlin.
Luzhkov left the United Russia party shortly after his dismissal.
MOSCOW, October 7 (RIA Novosti)
