November 5, 2008 By James Kimer

Counterfeit Constitutionalism Paves the Way for Putin Return

Is President Dmitry Medvedev paving the way for some constitutional changes to bring Vladimir Putin back into the presidency? Furthermore, after this one little constitutional edit, why not some more? From the Financial Times:

But he dropped a bombshell by saying the constitution should be “corrected” to allow Russian presidents to serve longer terms. Presidents are limited to two consecutive four-year terms but can return to power after a period out of office. When Mr Putin was president he rejected calls to change the constitution to allow him to remain in power, insisting he could not alter a cornerstone of Russia’s democracy. Mr Medvedev said that extending the term of office was necessary to help Russia’s transition to democracy.