#1 - RW 260
Putin says two terms enough, no word yet on 2004
June 5, 2003
By Maria Golovnina

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin, enjoying seemingly unassailable popularity, assured Russians Thursday that he would respect a constitutional two-term limit that would force him to retire within five years.

In a wide-ranging exchange with teenagers at his country retreat, he said post-Soviet Russia would see no return to Stalin-style personality cults and blamed bureaucracy and corruption for inhibiting the growth of democracy.

But the 50-year-old former KGB agent kept the nation waiting for confirmation of what most take for granted -- that he will run for re-election in March in a poll he is expected to win.

"Two terms are enough," Putin said during two hours of chat, excerpts of which were shown on television news.

"It's a question of whether we need a five-year or a four-year term. But this is a matter of taste," he added. The present presidential term is four years.

The president, whose success in reining in economic and social chaos has also brought accusations that he has authoritarian tendencies, said: "I don't think there is an authoritarian system or a personality cult in Russia.

"The nation has chosen democracy."

But this democracy, Putin said, was struggling in the face of corruption and red tape:

"The government is trying to do something about this but so far they have not been quite successful as something is getting on their way," he told the stiff and obedient-looking teenagers.

"The institution of democracy has not developed properly in our country yet. ... Our laws are correct but they either don't work or just disappear, unfortunately."

Since taking over from Boris Yeltsin in 2000, Putin has presented himself as an advocate of Western-style market economics but his patchy record on media freedom and stalling of other domestic reforms have been criticized abroad.

"There is no doubt the state needs to play a role, even in the media. But not everywhere," said Putin. "Not all media outlets should be state-run. But the state can convey its opinion through private media as well."

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