Analyst: Putin Proposes Changes that Could Help Keep Him in

[NewsReporter]

VOA - World News

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to shift some of the presidential powers to the parliament before he ends his fourth and most likely last term as president.  He proposed constitutional changes to that effect in his state-of the-nation speech Wednesday. Putin also reshuffled the cabinet, naming a little-known government official as new prime minister to replace Dmitry Medvedev. Analysts see Putin's unexpected moves as paving the way to hold on to power after 2024, when his presidential term ends. VOA's Zlatica Hoke has more.