As Russia on Wednesday voted for constitutional changes that will boost pensions, they also voted to keep Vladimir Putin in power for 16 more years till 2036. 


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A bunch of constitutional reforms would allow Putin to run for another two six-year consecutive terms after his current term expires in 2024.


Here's a look at Vladimir Putin's political career


Vladimir Putin, whose full name is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born on October 7, 1952 in Leningrad, Russia erstwhile USSR.


He served as a foreign intelligence officer for the KGB (Committee for State Security) for 15 years. In 1990 he retired from active KGB service with the rank of lieutenant colonel.


In 1996 Putin moved to Moscow, where he joined the presidential staff as deputy to Pavel Borodin who was Kremlin’s chief administrator. Putin slowly climbed up administrative ranks. 


In July 1998, the then President Boris Yeltsin made Putin director of the Federal Security Service (KGB’s domestic successor). 


Yeltsin, who was searching for an heir to assume his mantle, appointed Putin as prime minister in 1999. Putin assumed office of the prime minister till December 31, 1999, when the ruling president Yeltsin announced his resignation and named Putin as acting president.  


Putin was in office for two consecutive terms till 2008 when a constitutional provision forced him to step down from his post. He chose Dmitry Medvedev as his successor who went on to win the March 2008 presidential election by a landslide. Medvedev nominated Putin as the country’s prime minister within hours of taking office on May 7, 2008.


While it looked like Medvedev might run for a second term, in September 2011 he announced that if his party, United Russia won the elections, he and Putin would trade positions.


As the country to polls in December 2011 therew as a wave of protest against Putin and widespread irregularities in parliamentary elections were also reported.


However, on March 4 2012 Putin was elected to a third term as Russia’s president. Putin resigned as his political party's chairman, handing control of the party to Medvedev.


He assumed office on May 7, 2012, and one of his first acts upon assuming office was to nominate Medvedev to serve as prime minister.