2//The Moscow Times, Russia Monday, October 11, 2004. Page 1.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/10/11/002.html THE BUZZ IS THAT PUTIN MAY STAY
By Anatoly Medetsky, Staff Writer
The buzz in liberal circles these days is that President Vladimir Putin's far-reaching political reform plans could help him retain power after his second and final term ends in 2008.
"It's a general feeling," said Vladimir Pribylovsky, head of the Panorama think tank. "This reform is a showdown. All masks are dropped."
The proposal, which scraps the popular vote for governors and individual races for the State Duma, could be a step toward amending the Constitution to extend Putin's final term from the current four years or to allow him to seek a third term, analysts said. Putin has repeatedly indicated that he will not cling to the presidency after his second term.
Or Putin could effectively remain the head of state as a powerful prime minister under a weak president. Under this scenario, the president would be a largely ceremonial figure, as in Germany.
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Irina Khakamada, a liberal candidate in March's presidential election, which Putin easily won, warned of a looming "constitutional coup" late last week.
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Yury Korgunyuk, editor of the Partinfo political weekly, said he is leaning toward the scenario of a third presidential term. "The idea that Putin will be re-elected seems increasingly certain to me," he said. "I don't think there will be any sophisticated schemes. They will just strike the article about the number of terms" from the Constitution.
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