Russian President Vladimir Putin has passed a new law that could keep him in power until 2036.
The new law will allow Putin to run in two more elections, potentially giving him presidential power for another 15 years.
The Kremlin approved these constitutional changes on Easter Monday, alongside the extension of presidential office terms to six years.
Putin has been president of Russia for over twenty years, the longest-reigning president after Josef Stalin, Soviet dictator.
He argued these changes were necessary to force his lieutenants to work rather than “darting their eyes in search of possible successors.”
“I know that in two years, instead of working normally at all levels of the state, all eyes will be on the search for potential successors“.
He continued, stating that the Russian president was “the guarantor of the country’s security and domestic stability,” and that Russia should avoid any future political upheavals.
“Russia has fulfilled its plan when it comes to revolutions.”
Almost 78% of voters approved the changes in July 2020 with 68% turnout, despite protests in St Petersburg and Moscow.
“Russia’s next presidential election will be in 2024”
This new legislation also outlaws same-sex marriage and gives Putin lifetime immunity from prosecution.
Political opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, currently on a hunger strike in the prison where he is serving a 30-month sentence, criticised this new law, claiming Putin wants to be “president for life.”
Russia’s next presidential election will be in 2024 but Vladimir Putin is yet to confirm whether he will be running in the next election.
Madeleine Raine
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