Russian lawmakers back Putin's sweeping reforms in first vote - Ifax

Russia's lower house of parliament backed sweeping constitutional reform legislation put forward by President Vladimir Putin in a preliminary vote on Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported.

Putin's proposed reforms are widely seen as giving him scope to retain influence once his current term expires in 2024, though he said at the weekend he did not favor the Soviet-era practice of having leaders for life who die in office.