MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has supported the proposal to ban high ranking officials, including ministers, senators and governors, from having foreign assets and bank accounts abroad and suggested expanding the list of such individuals to include the head of state.

"I fully agree. However, all officials need to be mentioned, including the head of state, the country’s president. Therefore, I suggest that this official be added to it as well," Putin said at a meeting with the working group to draft amendments to the Constitution.

On January 23, Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) unanimously voted to approve the bill in the first reading on the constitutional amendments submitted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The document, in particular, stipulates expanding the powers of the legislature and the Constitutional Court, a ban on high-ranking officials from holding residence permits in other countries, limiting the number of presidential terms, placing the supremacy of Russia’s Constitution over international agreements and strengthening the state’s social obligations. The presidential bill also provides for a nationwide public vote on the law on amendments to Russia’s Constitution.

The second reading was initially scheduled for February 11, but, due to the large number of incoming proposals, the deadline for collecting amendments has been extended until February 14, and then until March 2.