<P> The president is elected directly through a popular vote to a six - year term . The law prohibits anyone from ever being elected to the presidency for a third consecutive term . In all, three individuals have served four presidencies spanning six full terms . On 7 May 2012, Vladimir Putin became the fourth and current president . </P> <P> A candidate for office must be a citizen of the Russian Federation who is at least 35 years old and has "permanently resided" in Russia for at least 10 years . </P> <P> The Constitution of Russia limits the election of one person to the Presidency to two consecutive terms . Since the constitution contains no ruling on a total number of terms that a President may serve, a former president may seek re-election after sitting out one complete term . </P> <P> The election of the President is mainly regulated by the Presidential Election Law (PEL) and the Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights (BGL). </P>

How many times can you be a president in russia
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