[JURIST] A bill due to be considered in the Russian state Duma next week would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin [official website] to circumvent the two-term limit on presidents set by the Russian Constitution [text in English]. The legislative amendment introduced Thursday by United Russia [party website in Russian] lawmaker Alexander Moskalets would allow Putin to run again if he stepped down before his second term concluded in 2008 and the election in that year (in which he could not participate) was declared invalid. Critics of Putin's administration, who have long speculated he would attempt to stay in power after his second term, have described the legislation as self-serving attempt to retain office at the expense of the Constitution. AP has more. MosNews has local coverage.