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Putin states need to limit number of presidential terms for power alternation in Russia

Russian President noted however that there is nothing extraordinary in the unlimited number of presidential terms

© Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

MOSCOW, March 8. /TASS/. The limited number of presidential terms is a more preferable option for Russia to guarantee power alternation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday.

The Russian president made this statement in an interview for the documentary project: "After A Flight over the Abyss." A fragment of the interview was shown on the Vesti Nedely (News of the Week) program on the Rossiya-1 TV Channel on Sunday.

"Today we are considering amendments to the Constitution. Very many diverse proposals are being made, including the proposal to remove the number of terms, for which the president may be elected. But still, to my mind, it is better to have a limited number of terms for electing the president to guarantee power alternation (this is important for such a country as ours)," Putin said.

There is nothing extraordinary in the unlimited number of presidential terms, Putin stated.

"In many countries, there is no limitation for the terms of electing the president. In the West, in the [United] States, this [rule] was cancelled quite recently from the historical perspective," the Russian president noted.

Putin also said that he would never take efforts to create a state system unacceptable for Russia for the sake of retaining power.

"Today there are many rumors about creating some alternative and parallel bodies of power, for example, giving additional powers to the State Council. I consider this absolutely unacceptable," the Russian president stressed.

"I understand that, honestly speaking, I will be able to control the situation in this way to keep it stable. But it is completely harmful for the country to create a situation of dual power for the future, for a perspective. To sum it up, I will say that the conclusion is as follows: I do not want and will not take efforts for the sake of extending my powers to create such a system of state power in Russia that would be unacceptable or pernicious for it," Putin said.

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