Putin sworn in for six more years
VLADIMIR Putin was sworn in for another six years as Russian president yesterday, as he promised greater ‘strength and prosperity’.
His inauguration for a historic fourth term came as he faced international pressure over Moscow’s support for the Syrian regime, and the impact of sanctions.
Mr Putin, 65, said he felt ‘a colossal sense of responsibility’ as he set out his priorities for his next six years, including an economic agenda aimed at boosting living standards.
Mr Putin has faced growing criticism over his actions in Syria and Ukraine, and over the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in Britain, but was re-elected with more than 76% of the vote after his closest rival, Alexei Navalny, was barred from standing.
Mr Putin focused almost
‘Should be modern and dynamic’
entirely on domestic issues in his speech after taking the oath of office in the Kremlin.
Improving the economy following a recession partly linked to international sanctions will be a primary goal of his next six-year term, Mr Putin said.
The 65-year-old former KGB agent, who has led Russia for all of the 21st century either as president or prime minister, used his decree to predict that Russia would become one of the world’s top five economies by the end of his term in 2024.
That would require boosting GDP by some 50%.
‘Russia should be modern and dynamic, it should be ready to accept the call of the times,’ he told his inauguration, attended by thousands, in the Grand Kremlin Palace.