Russian vote seen as paving the way for Putin's return

RUSSIA'S LOWER house of parliament gave preliminary approval yesterday to plans to extend the president's term in office, a move widely seen as paving the way for Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin.

The state Duma voted 388-58 in favour of constitutional changes that would allow Russia's president to serve for six years rather than the current four, and for parliament to sit for five years instead of four.

To become law, the amendments must be cleared by the Duma in two further readings, and then by the upper house of parliament and a majority of Russia's regional legislatures. All those bodies are controlled by parties loyal to the Kremlin.

The final stage in the process is the signature of president Dmitry Medvedev, who proposed the constitutional changes last week. He replaced his mentor, Mr Putin, in the Kremlin earlier this year and immediately made Mr Putin his prime minister.

Mr Medvedev has failed to shake off speculation that Mr Putin is still effectively running Russia, however, and many analysts believe the change to term limits is part of a plan to return Mr Putin to the presidency.

His two-term, eight-year tenure in the Kremlin saw Russia recover much power and prestige, and he is by far the most popular politician in the country.

Mr Medvedev has said that the longer term in office would only apply to whoever is elected in the next presidential poll, due in 2012.

The Kremlin says longer terms would allow presidents and MPs to achieve more between elections, and Mr Putin said this week that the proposal "had no personal dimension". But he did not deny that he may seek another spell as president.

"As for who will run for office and when, it's too early to talk about that now," he said.

Liberal politician Vladimir Ryzhkov said that "using pretexts such as the new constitution and the need to strengthen the state in the face of the crisis, might, through Medvedev, announce snap presidential and parliamentary elections as early as March or April." In the pro-Kremlin Duma, only communist deputies criticised the changes.