Moscow, 28 June: The One Russia party has denied reports in some of the mass media to the effect that deputies from its parliamentary faction intend to create legislative conditions for electing Vladimir Putin president for a third term.

"Reports in some of the mass media alleging that we are making sure electoral legislation has a loophole for a specific candidate are nothing but ravings; no-one would think of such a thing because there is the constitution of the country, and there is the president's stand on this matter," Vyacheslav Volodin, secretary of the presidium of the One Russia party's general council and deputy speaker of the State Duma, told a briefing on Tuesday [28 June].

He said one could speak of electing a president for a third term "only when the situation in the country is extremely critical". "We are, however, categorically against it, and we'll do all we can to make sure the situation is stable and remains within legal bounds," Volodin stressed.

He said that on 16 June the presidium of the party's general council had approved a block of amendments that One Russia deputies were submitting to the major bill envisaging changes in the electoral law, which would have its second reading on Wednesday [29 June].

Volodin said the block included 19 amendments submitted by One Russia deputies in accordance with the party's decisions. "We did not back the proposal to increase from 7 per cent to 10 per cent the threshold for parties to be represented in the State Duma; the proposal to exclude the heading 'against all candidates' from the ballot slips in elections to the State Duma was also turned down," Volodin said. [Passage omitted: more on latter proposal]

Volodin also mentioned the 135th amendment to the existing law "On the guarantees of electoral rights of the citizens of the Russian Federation and of citizens' right to take part in referenda", which was put forward by One Russia deputy Aleksandr Moskalets and gives the incumbent head of state the opportunity to run for a third term under certain conditions. "This is a private legislative initiative by one deputy," Volodin said.

Meanwhile, head of the State Duma committee on constitutional legislation Vladimir Pligin explained to Interfax earlier that the 135th amendment would be additionally adjusted in order to "exclude the slightest possibility that it could be treated as creating a possibility for a third presidential term".