Putin’s push for power gets green light from Russian parliaments
Both of Russia’s houses of parliament approved constitutional changes on Wednesday that allow Vladimir Putin to run for president again in 2024, which is something the current constitution forbids.
The 450-seat lower house, the State Duma, gave its definitive and overwhelming approval in favour of the changes in a third and final reading by 383 votes. Nobody voted against, but 43 legislators abstained and 24 were absent.
The upper house voted in favour a few hours later.
Putin, who has dominated the Russian political landscape for two decades as either president or prime minister, opened the door to the constitutional changes a day earlier, making an impromptu appearance in parliament.
In January, Putin unveiled a major shake-up of Russian politics and a constitutional overhaul, but at present is required by the constitution to step down in 2024 when his second sequential and fourth presidential term ends.
But addressing the State Duma on Tuesday, he gave his qualified blessing to a proposed change to the constitution that would formally reset his presidential term tally to zero.
If, as Putin’s critics suspect, the constitutional court gives its blessing to the amendment and it is backed in a nationwide vote in April, Putin could serve another two back-to-back sixyear terms. Were he to do that, and his health and electoral fortunes allowed, he could stay in office until 2036, at which point he would be 83.
Kremlin critic and opposition politician Alexei Navalny has said he believes Putin will now try to become president for life.
Putin has not spelt out what his plans for the future are after 2024, but has said that he does not favour the Soviet-era practice of having leaders for life who die in office.
The changes backed by the State Duma and upper house on Wednesday will now be reviewed by other parts of the Russian legislative branch. No opposition is expected.