By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed Wednesday the extension of presidential and parliament terms from the current four years to six and five years, respectively.
Medvedev said that he proposed “extending the terms of office for the president and the State Duma (the lower hous) to six and five years, respectively,” Medvedev said in his first state-of-the-nation address to parliament.
“I am convinced that our progress toward freedom and democracy will be successful and unwavering only if the prestige of the president and the State Duma is sufficiently high and based on the practical results of their activities, and if they have enough time to put their pledges into practice,” Medvedev said.
Commenting on whether a nation-wide referendum would be held on the issue, the chairman of Russia’s Central Election Commission, Vladimir Churov later said: “We will see.”