Chairman of Russian Central Electoral Commission Alexander Veshnyakov speaks to the media during a press conference in Moscow, in this Monday, March 24, 2003 picture. Russia's Central Election Commission on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2006, dismissed an appeal that called for allowing the president to serve more than two consecutive terms and could have allowed President Vladimir Putin to stay in power beyond 2008. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)