Russian President Vladimir Putin was named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" on Wednesday for imposing stability that restored Russia as a world power.
The magazine recognized Putin's "extraordinary feat of leadership in taking a country that was in chaos and bringing it stability," said Richard Stengel, Time's managing editor.
The magazine noted that "Person of the Year" is not an honor or an endorsement but a recognition of leadership that shapes the world.
Putin, 55, is enormously popular in Russia, presiding over a resurgent economy flush with revenue from oil and natural gas.
Putin recently endorsed vice-PM Dmitry Medvedev's presidential bid, and said he would accept Medvedev's offer to serve as prime minister if Medvedev is elected March 2.
The Kremlin said Wednesday the Time recognition was seen there as an acknowledgment of Putin's role in helping Russia pull out of its social and economic troubles in the 1990s.
Others considered for Person of the Year included Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore and author J.K. Rowling.
This year's choice was a return to the magazine's tradition of picking an individual rather than last year's choice of “You”, which refers to anyone creating or using content on the World Wide Web.
Putin is the fifth Russian (or Soviet) leader to be named Person of the Year: Gorbachev, Andropov, Khrushchev and Stalin, who was named twice.
本周三，俄罗斯总统普京被《时代》杂志评为“2007年度人物”。普京之所以当选，是因为他在执政期间稳定了俄罗斯的政局，使俄罗斯重归世界强国之列。
该杂志执行总编理查德•斯坦格尔说，《时代》杂志赞赏普京“作为领导人所取得的卓越成绩，他领导俄罗斯从混乱走向稳定”。
《时代》杂志指出，“年度人物”不是一项荣誉，也不是一种认可，而是对改变世界的个人或力量的承认。
克里姆林宫于本周三表示，普京当选《时代》年度人物是《时代》杂志对其政绩的承认，普京总统带领俄罗斯走出了上世纪90年代的社会和经济困境。
其他几位年度人物候选人包括诺贝尔奖得主艾尔•戈尔和作家J·K•罗琳。
今年《时代》年度人物的评选又恢复了以往选择单个人的传统，去年的年度人物是“你”，代表创造和使用互联网内容的所有用户。
普京是第五位当选《时代》年度人物的俄罗斯（包括前苏联）领导人，其他几位领导人包括：戈尔巴乔夫、安德罗波夫、赫鲁晓夫以及曾两次当选的斯大林。
Vocabulary:
责任编辑：八月骄阳
