MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. A Russian ex-president, resigned by the moment the new law on forming the Federation Council (upper house) has taken effect, will be entitled to file an application to become a lifetime senator at any moment with no term limits, according to the amendment, adopted by the Federation Council Committee Constitutional Legislation and State Building Friday.

According to the previous edition of the draft law, a head of state that left office either after their term expired or prematurely could become a Federation Council senator as soon as they filed an application, which could be filed once within three months after standing down. A president who resigned long before the law comes into effect, could also file an application to the Federation Council, but no later than within three months after the law is published. The new amendment removes these time constraints for presidents who stepped down before the law takes effect.

"The logic here is that those presidents, who will be elected or who serve today, know these laws, they are universal and they will be in effect [when those presidents resign]," Council Chairman Pavel Krasheninnikov explained, adding that these norms were not in effect during former presidents’ terms. "So there are special conditions here."

"We believe that this norm is redundant, because we appoint them for life, so we believe that to limit a constitutional right - and it is indeed written in the Constitution - by three months is inappropriate. This is why we propose to remove this time constraint," Krasheninnikov said.