Putin rejects proposal of extending presidential term

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, February 06, 2004

Putin rejects proposal of extending presidential term

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated on Feb. 5 that he is against the latest legislative initiative of prolonging president's four-year term, Interfax newsagency reported.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated on Feb. 5 that he is against the latest legislative initiative of prolonging president's four-year term, Interfax news agency reported.

The Russian leader reaffirmed that his negative opinion on the issue has not changed, but he understood that the proposal is aimed at creating more stable conditions for the country.

Putin made the statement after the State Duma, or lower house of the parliament, announced earlier Thursday that it would meditate on a bill submitted by a regional legislative assembly to extend Russian president's current constitutional tenure to seven years.

The incumbent state leader, who is believed to easily win a second term in the March 14 presidential elections, has been suspected of either seeking an extension of his tenure or pursuing a third term, given possible revision of the current constitution that stipulates just four-year presidency and two terms in office.

But after several pro-Putin parties formed a two-third Duma majority, which is necessary for constitutional revisions in the parliamentary elections last December, Putin expressed his categorical opposition to the idea of revising the constitution, stressing that the constitution is the backbone of social stability and has not exhausted its positive potential at all.

Putin said Thursday that the desire to prolong presidential tenure "must not lead to destabilizing the foundation of the state-- the Constitution" and "everything should be done to keep it inviolable."

Source: Xinhua

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