OREANDA-NEWS. December 19, 2008. Following the example of the federal presidency and the State Duma, also regional governors and legislative assemblies now want to extend their terms in office.

In his state of the nation speech in November, President Dmitry Medvedev proposed to extend the terms of the presidency to six years and of the State Duma deputies to five years. The proposals were quick included in Russian legislation by the federal legislative bodies.

The longer terms require amendments in the Russian Constitution, which subsequently need to be approved by two thirds of the Russian regional parliaments.

Now, the regions follow trace.

The powerful Governor of Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaimiyev, when presenting the constitutional amendment to his regional members of parliament, this week called the extended terms on the federal level “a signal to the regions”.

From before, a major number of Russian governors and legislative assemblies serve with five-year terms. Only a total of 13 governors and 17 legislative assemblies serve on four-year terms. Among the regions with with four-year terms are Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

President Medvedev is likely to have set the new standards with his November speech – it will be hard for federal authorities to prevent the regional governors and the regional parliaments to serve on respectively six and five-year terms.