Putin to seek 4th term as president

By Ilker Girit

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he will contest the March 2018 elections to seek his fourth term as president.

Putin's announcement came during his address to workers at an automobile factory in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia's fifth largest city.

After first taking power in 2000, Putin has served three terms as president, with a four-year break when he served as prime minister in 2008-2012.