There are rumblings out of Russia that the Kremlin is investigating ways to amend the constitution so that Vladimir Putin could run for a third term as president.
This is not surprising, considering the steady increase in power that Putin has secured for himself over the years. Neither is the measure unprecedented among former Soviet states — neighboring Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko had the Belarusian constitution amended to allow him to enjoy multiple terms.
In a part of the world where constitutions are merely “living, breathing documents,” one never knows what might happen. Don’t expect Putin to bow out gracefully in 2008.