President Vladimir Putin has signed into law legislation raising the maximum age for civil servants? to 70, the Kremlin said in a statement on its website Wednesday.
The bill was approved by the State Duma on Dec. 19 and by the Federation Council on Dec. 26.
Previously, the age limit was set at 60 with the option of extending it to 65 in certain cases. Now, the maximum limit is 70 years of age.
"The introduction of this rule will allow us to keep highly qualified and experienced civil servants in the federal civil service as upper-level personnel," the Kremlin's statement said.
Putin introduced the bill personally in September 2012.?