Russian President Vladimir Putin, 68, signed the law on Monday that allows him to run for two new six-year presidential terms, opening the door to his continuity in the Kremlin until 2036.
This law, published in the official gazette 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 eliminated all real political competition in two decades, reducing the opposition and the independent media. He 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 terms in the presidency.
But according to the text promulgated on Monday, this restriction “does not apply to those who held the position of head of state before the entry into force of the amendments to the Constitution” approved by referendum in 2020.
Eternal life
“Let them move on with a law that gives the president eternal life,” Evgueni Roijzmán, a Kremlin detractor and former mayor of Ekaterinburg, one of Russia’s largest cities, said on Twitter.
Alexei Navalni’s closed opposition team reacted by posting a 2000 video in which Putin says he opposes 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 opinion polls, despite the pandemic, the slowing economy and unpopular social reforms in 2018.
This is not the first time Putin has come close to reaching the two-term limit.
Putin retired at the end of his second term in 2008, installing his prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, in the Kremlin. After this intermission, he was re-elected president in 2012, despite a special 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, without real opposition.
Conservative principles and immunity
The adopted law also includes new requirements for presidential candidates. He must now be at least 35 years old, have lived in Russia for at least 25 years and never have a foreign nationality or a permanent residence permit in another country.
The revision voted in the summer also introduces into the Constitution the conservative principles desired by the president, such as faith in God, marriage 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 outcome of which raised no doubt, officially ended with the victory yes with 77.92% of the vote and a turnout of 65%, according to officers’ figures.
Navalni described the consultation as a “big lie”, and the election monitoring NGO Golos denounced it as an “unprecedented” attack on the sovereignty of the Russian people.