Putin signs law allowing him to serve two more terms

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday gave final approval to legislation allowing him to hold office for two additional six-year terms, giving himself the possibility to stay in power until 2036. The 68-year-old Russian leader, who has already been in power for more than two decades, signed off on the bill yesterday, according to a copy posted on the government's legal information portal. Putin proposed the change last year as part of constitutional reforms that Russians overwhelmingly backed in a vote in July. Lawmakers approved the new bill last month. Putin was first elected president in 2000 and served two consecutive four-year terms.