MOSCOW (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law that will allow him to retain power until 2036, a measure that formalizes the constitutional changes passed in last year’s popular vote.
The July 1 constitutional vote included a provision that reinstated Putin’s previous terms, allowing him to run for president twice more. The change was stamped out by the Kremlin-controlled legislature and the relevant law signed by Putin was posted on an official legal information portal on Monday.
The 68-year-old Russian president, who has been in power for more than two decades – longer than any other Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin – said he would decide later whether to run again in 2024 when his current six-year term ends.
He has argued that restoring the term count was necessary to prevent his lieutenants from “throwing their eyes in search of possible successors” instead of working normally.
Constitutional amendments also emphasized the priority of Russian law over international norms, banned same-sex marriage, and mentioned “belief in God” as a fundamental value. Russian lawmakers have methodically amended national legislation, passing relevant laws.