Third term for Putin would not faze most Russians

By Oleg Shchedrov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Most Russians would not think worse of President Vladimir Putin if he breached the constitution and ran for a third term in March presidential elections, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday.

Putin, whose approval ratings top 70 percent, has promised to respect the constitution, which bans him running for a third consecutive four-year term. His popularity has prompted a wave of calls by political allies for him to change his mind.

A poll by the independent Levada Centre showed 55 percent would not change their view of Putin if he decided to run again, while another 22 percent said it would improve their opinion.

Putin has already said he wants to keep political influence after leaving the Kremlin but he has not explained how.

Demands to formalise Putin's future role have topped the agenda of his United Russia party, which won a landslide victory in a parliamentary election last Sunday.

"Putin is our national leader and he will remain the national leader whatever job he takes after the presidential election," United Russia chief Boris Gryzlov has said.

Kremlin officials say Sunday's election result, with a combined 72 percent of votes won by pro-Kremlin parties, is a demonstration of public support for Putin to maintain power. But it remains unclear what the role of "national leader" might be.

CONFUSION