Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that he will run for a second term.  

"My answer is affirmative. I will be nominated for president. I will make an official statement to this effect in the near future," Putin said during a live phone-in question-and-answer session on the national television.

This statement came after the Dec. 7 elections to the State Duma, or the lower house of the parliament, in which Putin's United Russia party won an overwhelming victory.

Putin, who has been Russia's most popular politician since he took office in 2000, is widely expected to be re-elected with overwhelming support.

A poll, conducted by a polling center last week among 3,000 Russians in the country's 63 regions, showed that some 61 percent of Russians will vote for Putin if the presidential elections would be held next Sunday, Interfax reported Thursday.

Putin has expressed categorical opposition to the idea of revising Russia's constitution which stipulates two-term presidency.

Russian presidential elections will be held on March 14, 2004.

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2003)