The upper house of Russia’s parliament on Friday formally set March 4 as the date for the presidential election, a vote expected to see Vladimir Putin return to the top job. “The elections for the president of Russia are set for March 4, 2012,” the Federation Council said in a statement on its website after senators approved the date in a vote called for under the constitution. Putin, the current prime minister, is expected to reclaim the presidency in the poll, making a dramatic comeback to the Kremlin after his protege President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to a job swap. The election date will be published in state newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta the editor Andrei Fedotkin was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as saying, formally launching the campaign process. Once the date is published, parties will be able to formally put forward their candidates. They will have until Jan.18 to submit their documents to the Central Electoral Commission, United Russia said in a statement on its website.