MOSCOW, Muharram 20, 1433, Dec 15, 2011, SPA -- Vladimir Putin will not step down as prime minister when he is campaigning for Russia's presidency, his spokesman said on Thursday, dismissing reports he might become acting president to help secure re-election to the Kremlin, according to Reuters. Financial markets have been abuzz with talk that Putin might launch a re-run of his initial rise to the presidency in 1999, when ailing President Boris Yeltsin resigned on New Year's Eve and Putin took over as acting president. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, dismissed any suggestions that the 59-year-old premier would take a leave of absence, and questioned any interpretation of Russian election law that suggests otherwise. "The situation on the financial markets is a difficult one. Not all financial analysts manage to maintain mental sobriety," Peskov said. --SPA 11:23 LOCAL TIME 08:23 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/952656