Moscow - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for the extension of his term in office to six years in his first state-of- the-nation address on Wednesday since succeeding Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev, 43, addressing the country's top political elite gathered in the Kremlin's most opulent St George Hall, said the proposed amendment was not a reform to the constitution, but rather a "correction."

The basic principles of the constitution would remain unchanged, he said, proposing to extend the presidential term to six from the current four years and the term for lawmakers in Russia's lower house of parliament to five.

The Kremlin can easily muster the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to approve a change to the constitution and extension of the presidential term after the pro-Kremlin party headed by Vladimir Putin swept the polls last year. (dpa)