Putin seeks to limit terms for president

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday raised the possibility of limiting the number of presidential terms in a TV program, saying that the measure would benefit the country.

A limited number of terms for the president is a more preferable option for Russia to guarantee power alternation, Putin said.

Putin made the remark during an interview, a part of which was released and shown on the Vesti Nedely program on the Rossiya-1 TV Channel.

According to Putin, the lower house of parliament, or State Duma, was doing a second reading of the Constitutional amendments. And among the 387 proposals the working group had received were proposals for removing the limit on the number of terms for which the president of Russian Federation may be elected.

Meanwhile, Vyacheslav Volodin, the First Chairman of the State Duma, said every proposal was read and researched by law experts, and over 200 proposals were approved.

Although he did not say if the proposal on removal of limits on terms for the president would be included in the approved proposals, Volodin said all parties in the State Duma supported the Constitutional amendments handed in by Putin, and the lawmakers agreed that the amendments reflected the requirements of Russian society.

There is nothing extraordinary in having an unlimited number of terms for the president, Putin said.

"In many countries, there is no limit on the number of terms for the president. In the West, in the United States, this rule was changed quite recently," he said, adding that the former US president Franklin Roosevelt had served four terms.

"But still, to my mind, it is better to have a limited number of terms for the president to guarantee power alternation, and this is important for our country," Putin said.

Putin said that he would not bend the law to extend his term in office, and is seeking to amend the Constitution to secure the country's future.

A Russian president is elected through a vote to a six-year term, and the law prohibits anyone from being elected to the presidency for a third consecutive term.

He dismissed rumors by the Western media about creating some alternative and parallel bodies of power, for example, giving additional powers to the State Council.

"It is harmful for the country to create dual power centers," Putin said.

The State Duma passed the presidential bill on amendments in the first reading in January.

A nationwide vote on the amendments is expected to be held on April 22.