RUSSIA'S parliament will rush through a constitutional amendment that could see Vladimir Putin return to the presidency within weeks.

Amid growing signs of panic in the Kremlin, the State Duma said it would meet today to pass legislation that could allow Mr Putin to return to the top job for 12 years.

Giving short shrift to Russia's 1993 constitution, all three readings of the bill will be compressed into a single sitting, rather than dragged out over weeks or months as convention dictates.

The proposal to extend the time a president can serve from two consecutive terms of four years to two consecutive terms of six was made by Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian leader, just last week.

Existing constitutional restrictions forced Mr Putin to stand down in May after completing two consecutive four-year terms. He did not go far, however, changing jobs to become Prime Minister.