Putin rejects lifelong tenure for state leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a meeting with World War II veterans in St Petersburg on Saturday, and raised the topic about his succession.

He said he did not want Russia to return to the late Soviet-era practice of having lifelong rulers who died in office without a proper succession strategy, Reuters reported.

Putin made the comments days after he proposed a package of constitutional amendments which led to the resignation of Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister along with his government.