Hamid Karzai builds his power base as he prepares to step down The home has long been a poorly kept secret in Kabul, and sparked speculation in some circles that Mr Karzai is planning to do a "Putin," stepping down while keeping a tight grip on the reins of power. Mr Karzai's spokesman declined to comment on the plans but earlier this week confirmed the details to The New York Times, and said that he would only offer advice if asked. Nominations to run in presidential elections in April closed last weekend with no clear indication of an obvious successor to the man who has governed ever since the Taliban were ousted from the capital. Whoever it is will take office at a crucial time. Nato troops are due to end combat operations in 2014 and John Kerry, American secretary of state, arrived in Kabul on Friday to try to kick-start negotiations over how many US troops will remain. Graeme Smith, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, said it was unprecedented for an Afghan leader to step voluntarily aside. He said many expected the 55-year-old to adopt a "father of the nation" role, mentoring the next president. "Karzai has a mental map of the incredibly Byzantine patronage networks and small balancing acts among local leaders that have formed the spiders web of connections that is the current government," he said. That may not please Nato planners, who privately say they are running out of time to strike a deal for forces to remain. This week Mr Karzai gave a reminder of his short fuse, railing against international forces for causing "great suffering" for the past year. From so close to the presidential palace, he will enjoy a ringside seat as the country's next president tries to keep insurgents from the city gates. Nominations closed last weekend for the presidential elections. They ended with a flurry of armed convoys as political heavyweights, besuited technocrats and bearded warlords flanked by bodyguards delivered their nomination papers to the election commission in Kabul. By the time it had finished, 27 individuals had declared their intention to run dashing hopes that a small number of consensus candidates would emerge. They include familiar faces such as Abdullah Abdullah, who finished as runner-up in 2009, Ashraf Ghani, a former World Bank official, and Zalmai Rassoul, the foreign minister and close associate of the current president. So far President Karzai has said he will refrain from issuing a public endorsement for any candidate. That has not been enough to stop diplomats, analyst and politicians indulging in the parlour game of trying to guess who will receive his private backing and a powerful nudge towards the Arg - the nineteenth century building used by Afghanistan's president. One of the front-runners is Mr Karzai's elder brother, Qayyum, a businessman who ran a restaurant in Baltimore before returning to Afghanistan to enter politics. With several other of President Karzai's close associates in the running and with candidates expected to chop and change their slates, however, nothing is certain in the country's murky, tea-fuelled business of deal-making. "There is a lot of doubt but family counts for everything in Afghanistan," said one seasoned observer in Kabul. I would be amazed if his brother isn't the one. In an interview on Friday, Qayyum signalled that he would want his brother to stay in government even after he stands aside. "I think he deserves a role," he told Reuters. Afghanistan is particularly in need of senior people like the president, who have worked for 13 years to keep the country together. His siblings have already promised not to investigate allegations of corruption during his administration, another reason why Mr Karzai may decide to keep things in the family despite a history of feuding among his relatives. For the past 11 years, the Afghan president has been able to shape the government, delivering jobs and money to key allies. And in recent months he has been quietly moving loyalists into positions where they will oversee the elections. Last month Umar Daudzai was moved from his post as ambassador to Islamabad back home to become interior minister. The transfer dashed his hopes of running for president but ensured a Karzai supporter had control of the police force. A few weeks earlier Mr Karzai installed nine new members on the Independent Selection Committee, sparking criticism that he was handpicking compliant figures while at the same time removing the slots reserved for foreign United Nations representatives. The result is a field day for conspiracy theorists, according to Michael Keating, senior consulting fellow at Chatham House. "Many do not believe that the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, will relinquish power," he wrote in a briefing note this week. But he has thus far proven wrong those who predicted that he would sidestep constitutional limits and serve a third term. Western diplomats also believe Mr Karzai is intent on stepping aside and has been working to secure a role that would allow him to protect his legacy as the man who kept the Taliban away. All the way through, he has been absolutely clear that he will go. None of that has changed," said one. Quite how far he goes is another matter. From his comfortable new home he will almost be able to see the presidential palace, where his successor will perhaps owe him a favour or two.