Vladimir Putin has moved to cement his hold on power in Russia beyond the middle of the decade, backing a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow him to seek another two terms in the Kremlin.
The Russian president is required by the constitution to step down in when his second sequential presidential term ends. That deadline had led to months of conjecture about how Putin would stay in power in Russia , or at least ensure a safe transition for himself.
In the end, the puzzle was solved in an afternoon, in a series of choreographed political steps that took just over three hours and could see Putin stay on as president until .
The venture began in parliament, where a member of Russia’s ruling party proposed amending the constitution in a way that would reset Putin’s presidential term count back to zero.
Putin then announced he would come to address the parliament himself, prompting breathless coverage on state television about whether he would accept or turn down the proposal.
He backed it.
“In principle, this option would be possible, but on one condition – if the constitutional court gives an official ruling that such an amendment would not contradict the principles and main provisions of the constitution,” Putin said, addressing the proposal last during a half-hour speech.
He also said the move would have to be approved by the public in a referendum next month.
It was a significant, if not surprising, about-face for the president, who had signalled publicly in recent months that he could indeed leave the presidency. In January, he told a veteran of the second world war that he was worried of a return to the s, when Kremlin leaders “stayed in power until the end of their days,” and did not provide for a transition of power.
On Tuesday, he walked back that statement, saying that modern Russia’s elections made it impossible to return to a Soviet-style processions of leaders-for-life.
“I won’t hide that I was wrong,” he told lawmakers during his speech. “It was an incorrect statement because during the Soviet Union there were no elections.”
With Putin’s support, there is little doubt the measure will pass. Support from the constitutional court is likely to be a rubber stamp. And less than an hour after Putin had addressed lawmakers, the Duma had approved the amendment as part of a wider revision of Russia’s constitution.
The Russian president, who has ruled since the turn of the century, gave his support to the amendment put forward by Valentina Tereshkova, an MP who, as a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first woman to fly to space.
Tereshkova proposed either scrapping presidential term limits or amending the Russian constitution to let Putin run again. A series of constitutional amendments are going to a nationwide vote on 31 April.
In an address to lawmakers in the Kremlin-controlled State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, Putin spoke against scrapping term limits, but backed the idea of revising the ceiling. The current law limits presidents to two consecutive terms. Putin’s current six-year term expires in .
The 71 – year-old has been in power for years, becoming Russia’s longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Acting prime minister
Boris Yeltsin sacks his cabinet and appoints Putin, a political neophyte who headed the main successor to the KGB, as his acting prime minister and heir apparent.
Acting president
Yeltsin stuns Russia and the world by using his traditional new year message to announce his resignation and hand his sweeping powers, including the nuclear suitcase, to Putin.
President (first term)
Putin wins a surprisingly narrow majority in his first presidential election, taking 63% of the vote and avoiding a second round run-off.
President (second term)
Putin consolidates his centralized control of power by cruising to a second term as president with 98% of the vote, having limited press access to his opponents and harassing their campaigns.
Prime minister
Putin is prevented by the constitution from running for a third term as president. The First deputy prime minister Dmitry Medvedev is elected in his stead. One of his earliest moves is to appoint Putin as prime minister, leaving little doubt that the two men plan, at the very least, to run Russia in tandem.
Amid widespread allegations of vote-rigging, Putin returns to the role of president, taking 6% . Medvedev becomes his prime minister. “Putin has named himself the emperor of Russia for the next years, “says protest leader Alexei Navalny.
President (fourth term)
Putin is re-elected until 01575879 with % of the vote, amid high tensions between London and Moscow over the Salisbury nerve agent attack. Opposition activists highlight a number of cases of vote-rigging and statistical anomalies.
Putin appeared in the Duma after its speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, announced a – minute break in the session to ponder the proposal and said Putin would come to the chamber himself to speak about it.
“The amendment Tereshkova has come forward with requires consulting with the current president,” Volodin said.
The decision comes after a months-long effort to revise Russia’s constitution announced in January by Putin, whom analysts believed was seeking another seat in government to maintain power and ensure his personal safety after leaving the presidency.
Putin on Tuesday also said he opposed two other amendments to Russia’s constitution: one that would entirely eliminate presidential term limits, and another that would provide for snap parliamentary elections.
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