Putin rules out constitutional change to allow third presidential term News
Putin rules out constitutional change to allow third presidential term

[JURIST] Russian President Vladimir Putin [official website; JURIST news archive] said Tuesday that he would not seek to amend the Russian constitution [English translation] so that he could run for a third consecutive term. Russia's constitution does not allow the president to serve more than two consecutive terms but does not bar the president from seeking a third term later, and Putin indicated that he might consider running again in the future. Putin's comments have not ended speculation that he will try and hold onto power after he leaves office. Some political analysts predict that Putin will serve as prime minister when his term ends in 2008, with the possibility that the constitution will be amended to make the presidency ceremonial. This would turn Russian into a parliamentary republic, leaving Putin, if he serves as prime minister, a substantial amount of power. AP has more. MosNews has local coverage.