Having served as President from 2000 to 2008, Putin was unable to stand for a third-consecutive four-year term due to the terms of the Russian constitution and had to leave office. His protege, Dmitry Medvedev, instead assumed the presidency, appointing Putin as his Prime Minister between 2008 and 2012. In September 2011 the Russian constitution was then altered to allowed presidential terms to be extended from four years to six and, having been out of office for four years, Putin was re-elected for a third, non-consecutive term in March 2012. The Russian constitution prohibits more than two consecutive terms, but allows for more if they are non-consecutive - unlike the terms for the American presidency, when a single person is limited to two full terms and a total serving time of 10 years. Putin has three years of his current term remaining, and could in theory extend his cumulative time as President of Russia to 24 years if he runs for re-election in 2018.
