68-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed the law allowing 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 Russian Official Gazette, was passed by parliament in March following a constitutional referendum in July 2020.
After coming to power in 2000, Putin has, in two decades, eliminated all real political competition and curbed 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 allow more than two consecutive presidential terms.
But according to the text decreed this Monday, this restriction “does not apply to those who held the position of head of state before the entry into force of the constitutional amendments,” approved by referendum in 2020.
Eternal life
“Let them go ahead with a law that will give the president eternal life,” said Evgueni Roijzmán on Twitter, a Kremlin slanderer and former mayor of Yekaterinburg, one of Russia’s largest cities.
Imprisoned opposition team Alexei Navalni responded by publishing a video from 2000 in which Putin says he is against a Russian president remaining in power for more than two terms.
The reform comes when the Russian president enjoys a popularity of more than 60% according to polls, despite the pandemic, a slowing economy and the unpopular social reforms of 2018.
It is not the first time that Putin has approached the two-term limit.
Putin retired at the end of his second term in 2008 and installed his prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, in the Kremlin. After this break, he was re-elected president in 2012, despite a large protest movement.
Subsequently, the length 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 passed law also includes new requirements for presidential candidates. Now they must be at least 35 years old, live in Russia for at least 25 years and have never had foreign citizenship or permanent residency in another country.
The revision voted in the summer also introduces into the constitution conservative principles that the president demands, such as faith in God, marriage reserved for heterosexuals, and patriotic education.
It also grants immunity to Russian presidents even after they leave office.
Delayed a week by the covid-19 pandemic, last year’s referendum, the result of which raised no doubts, officially ended with yes’s victory with 77.92% of the vote and 65% participation, according to figures.
Navalni had described this consultation as a “big lie” and the NGO Golos, which specializes in election monitoring, condemned it as an “unprecedented” attack on the sovereignty of the Russian people.