Putin promises not to change constitution

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on Sunday that there is no plan to revise the country's constitution, retorting upon the suspicion that he may seek for extended term under constitutional amendments.

The authorities "do not indent to amend the constitution" and "there are no such plans, " Putin addressed a meeting with members of the Constitutional Court to mark Sunday's Constitutional Day, according to the Interfax news agency.

The Russian Constitution, adopted in 1993, limits the Russian president to two consecutive terms. Critics feared that the Kremlin-loyal parliament would seek to amend the constitution to keep Putin in power after 2008, when his second four-year term expires.

Putin's remarks also came after both houses of Russian parliament approved his controversial political reforms, which will replace the popular vote for heads of Russia's 89 regions with local parliamentary elections based on the president's nominees.

Opponents to the bill fear that the change would reinforce the presidential powers and curtail democracy.

Putin has firmly denied such allegations, asserting that his ideas, put forward after the Beslan hostage-taking tragedy, would consolidate the country's unity in face of mounting terrorism and reduce security threat.

Source: Xinhua