The 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi will be opened by President Vladimir Putin, who by then will once again be Russia's president, Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov said Tuesday.

While speaking to journalists in Novosibirsk, Mironov said that the Russian state is "beginning to slowly turn its face to the people" and the man responsible for implementing these changes is "Russian citizen Vladimir Putin."

"Winning the bid to host the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014 is a personal victory of Russia's president," Mironov said earlier.

According to the speaker, in 2007 and 2011 Russia's political system will undergo fundamental changes, including a series of drastic revisions of its current laws.

"We have settled foreign debts, it's high time to pay back our domestic debts to the Russian people. It's a vital necessity."

Earlier, Mironov reiterated calls for amending the Russian constitution, which would allow President Vladimir Putin to remain in office beyond his second term. However, after Putin personally stressed that he had no intention of changing the constitution, Mironov toned down his statements, proposing only to allow a candidate to serve as president more than two times.

"Let's elect a new president in 2008 for four years, and then re-elect Putin once more, if he himself desires it," Mironov said.

"The United Russia party acts like its seeing the president off to his retirement, but our party says, "Our president for 2012 is Vladimir Putin," added the Federation Council speaker who also heads the more left-leaning A Just Russia party. 

By Veronika Jeffries