Putin constitutional proposals backed by parliament

Russia's parliament has backed President Vladimir Putin's constitutional amendments on Thursday, a move widely seen as an attempt by Putin to stay in power.

The amendment would allow Putin to continue his presidency past the end of his term in 2024.

Putin submitted the amendments to the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, on Monday, just several days after presenting them in the annual state-of-the-nation address last week.

He suggested that lawmakers could name prime ministers and cabinet members, proposed a greater role for the State Council, an obscure consultative body of regional governors and federal officials, and sought to prioritize the primacy of Russian laws over international law.

The proposed changes, he argued, would bolster democracy.

The Kremlin-controlled Duma unanimously voted for the amendments after discussing them for two hours.

The second reading of the bill is scheduled for 11 February.

Lawmakers and the working group created by Putin have already come up with a variety of proposals in addition to what the draft law outlines.

Chairman of the lower-house Vyacheslav Volodin said at the second reading it would be better "to focus" on the amendments that were prepared by the working group, rejecting the idea to expand the lists of amendments.

Putin said that the constitutional changes need to be approved by the entire nation, but it remains unclear how such a vote would be organized.

The bill submitted to parliament empowers the State Council to "determine the main directions of home and foreign policy," its specific authority yet to be spelt in a separate law.

It gives the parliament more say over Cabinet ministers' appointment but emphasizes that the president should retain the power to dismiss the prime minister and Cabinet ministers and remain in charge of the Russian military and law enforcement agencies.

Commentators see these proposals as a strategy for Putin to stay in charge by becoming the head of the State Council.

Russian opposition members condemned the reform as a "constitutional coup" and called for a rally against it on 29 February.