Dmitry Medvedev: No predetermination in elections

President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday denied that the fate of Russia's elections was predetermined by his decision to step down in favour of his political mentor Vladimir Putin, the AFP reports.

President Dmitry Medvedev, who does not plan to compete for a second term, outlined his views on what the election means for Russia as he spoke to the country's major media outlets.

The recording was made on Thursday evening at the presidential residence outside Moscow. The interview lasting 25 minutes will be aired today at 8:30pm simultaneously on the three channels.

"How can they be predetermined," news agencies quoted Medvedev as saying in a Russian television interview

"Let the people decide who they vote for. Let them decide whether they support a particular political force or not."

Medvedev told a ruling party congress on September 24 that he would not be contesting the presidential election next March and had asked Putin -- his current prime minister and predecessor as head of state -- to run in his place, the sources report.