Russia: Putin signs law that could keep him in power until 2036

Times of News

4 years ago

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a series of unprecedented constitutional amendments that could set him up for an additional two terms as president.

The measures now move to the Constitutional Court for approval this week, followed by a public referendum to be held next month.

The bill contains nearly 400 changes to Russia’s constitution; among them an amendment that would restart the counting of Putin’s presidential terms. Under current law, the Russian leader is required to leave office in 2024. If approved, the new legislation would position him for two more six-year terms in office, potentially keeping him in power until 2036.

Read Opinion: Putin’s Pushkin-like play to lead Russia till 2036

The 67-year-old leader served two four-year terms as president from 2000 to 2008. The presidential term was then extended to six years and Putin was re-elected in 2012 and 2018.

Putin introduced the last-minute proposal to the 68-page bill on Tuesday, when it was quickly approved in the lower house of parliament. It later also passed in the upper house and in regional parliaments.

The bill would also strengthen the presidency, outlaw same sex marriage in Russia, and list “a belief in God” as a key Russian value.

The Russian public will vote on the amendments on April 22. The country’s Senate Speaker Valentina Matvienko on Saturday said the referendum “must take place despite various worries about coronavirus.”

Critics are calling the move a power grab at a time when the coronavirus outbreak restricts mass gatherings and the ability to protest.

49 protesters arrested

Despite the current restrictions, protesters managed to speak out against the reforms on Saturday at a demonstration organized to protest political repression held near the headquarters of the Federal Security Service (FSB).

Protesters demanded the release of political prisoners who earlier this year had been convicted on terrorism chargers. Many of the prisoners had said in court that the FSB had tortured them.

Read more: Opinion: Putin’s bespoke government — made for indefinite control

“The authorities are using targeted repressions in order to rule forever,” said leftist politician Sergei Udaltsov.

“We are seeing an attempt to overthrow the constitutional regime, to reset the term limits, solidarity is more important than ever,” he told journalists prior to being arrested.

Police arrested 49 people at the protest, saying that the demonstration had not been authorized.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power

KGB cadet

Born in St.Petersburg in 1952, Putin signed up with the Soviet intelligence agency the KGB right out of law school in 1975. His first assignment was to monitor foreign nationals and consulate employees in his home city, then called Leningrad. He was then assigned to Dresden, East Germany. He reportedly burned hundreds of KGB files after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power

Political mentor

Putin was one of the deputies to St Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak from 1991 to 1996. Sobchak met Putin at Leningrad State University and the two men were close until Sobchak’s death in 2000. Despite accusations of corruption, Sobchak was never charged.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power

Meteoric rise

Putin quickly leapt from St.Petersburg to Moscow. In 1997, President Boris Yeltsin gave Putin a mid-level position on his staff — a position Putin would use to cultivate important political friendships that would serve him in the decades to come.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power

Death of a friend

Putin was deeply affected by Anatoly Sobchak’s death in 2000. After the apprentice outstripped his teacher politically, Sobchak became a vocal early proponent of Putin’s bid for the presidency. A year earlier, Putin used his political connections to have fraud allegations against Sobchak dropped, the beginning of a pattern for friends of the former spy.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power

Temporary president

In June 2000, Boris Yeltsin stepped down, leaving his prime minister to become interim leader. As he was running for his successful presidential campaign, corruption allegations from his time on the city government in St.Petersburg resurfaced. Marina Salye, the lawmaker who brought up the claims, was silenced and forced to leave the city.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power

Tandemocracy

When Putin was constitutionally barred from running for a third consecutive term in 2008, his Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ran in his stead. When Medvedev was elected, he appointed Putin as premier. This led to criticism of a “tandemocracy,” in Moscow, with many people believing that Medvedev was Putin’s puppet.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power

Victory

In March 2018, Vladimir Putin was elected to his fourth term as president. Because the presidential term has been extended, this means Putin will be in power for the next six years. However, the election was marred by a lack of opposition to the incumbent, as well as allegations of vote tampering and ballot-stuffing.

Vladimir Putin: The road to power

Putin pushes for constitutional reform

Less than two years after his latest election victory, Putin unexpectedly announced sweeping constitutional changes that prompted his most loyal ally, Dmitry Medvedev, to resign. He was replaced by little-known Mikhail Mishustin (R). Soon after that, Putin hinted he was willing to run again when his current term expires in 2024.

Author: Elizabeth Schumacher