[JURIST] The speaker of the Russian Duma [official website], Russia's lower house of parliament, said Tuesday that parliament would not hold another vote on whether to modify the constitution to allow the president to run for a third term. The Russian Constitution [English translation], adopted in 1993, limits presidents to two consecutive four-year terms. Russian President Vladimir Putin [official website] currently has strong public support, and with pro-government legislatures controlling the parliament it is likely that a constitutional change, if pursued, could be approved.

State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov [official website, in Russian], leader of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, made the announcement and noted that Putin has opposed major constitutional changes [JURIST report]. Last year a proposed amendment fell far short of approval by the State Duma [JURIST report]. AP has more.