Russian President Vladimir Putin, 68, signed a law on Monday that allows him to run for two new six-year presidential terms, opening the door to his continuation in the Kremlin until 2036.
This law, published in the official newspaper of the Russian government, was adopted by parliament in March, following a constitutional referendum held in July 2020.
After coming to power in 2000, Putin has eliminated all real political competition in two decades, putting an end to the opposition and the independent media. He has always refused to talk about his succession.
In theory, the Russian president should have retired at the end of his current term in 2024, as Russian law does not authorize more than two consecutive presidential terms.
But according to the text promulgated on Monday, this restriction “does not apply to those who held the office of head of state before the entry into force of the amendments to the Constitution” approved by referendum in 2020.
Eternal life
“Let them go ahead with a law that grants the president eternal life,” Evgueni Roijzmán, a detractor of the Kremlin and former mayor of Yekaterinburg, one of Russia’s largest cities, quipped on Twitter.
The team of jailed opponent Aleksei Navalni reacted by posting a 2000 video in which Putin says he is opposed to a Russian president remaining in power for more than two terms.
The reform comes as the Russian president enjoys more than 60% popularity according to polls, despite the pandemic, a slowing economy and the unpopular social reforms of 2018.
It is not the first time Putin is on the verge of reaching the limit of two consecutive terms.
Putin retired at the end of his second term, in 2008, installing his prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, in the Kremlin. After this interim, he was re-elected president in 2012, despite a large protest movement.
Then, the term of the presidential term was extended from four to six years and Putin was re-elected in 2018 with 76% in the first round, with no real opposition.
Conservative principles and immunity
The enacted law also includes new requirements for presidential candidates. They must now be at least 35 years old, have resided in Russia for at least 25 years and have never had a foreign nationality or a permanent residence permit in another country.
The revision voted on in the summer also introduces into the Constitution conservative principles desired by the president such as faith in God, marriage reserved for heterosexuals, and patriotic education.
It also grants immunity to Russian presidents even after leaving office.
Delayed a week by the covid-19 pandemic, last year’s referendum, the result left no doubt, officially ended with the victory of the yes with 77.92% of the vote and a turnout of the 65%, according to official figures.
Navalni had called this consultation a “big lie” and the oenagé Golos, who specializes in election monitoring, denounced it as an “unprecedented” attack on the sovereignty of the Russian people.