Putin promises economic boost in his 4th term
MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin took the oath of office Monday for a fourth term as Russia’s president, in a ceremony staged in a gilded Kremlin hall once used to crown czars and replete with pageantry, highlighting his vast accumulation of authority after nearly two decades in power.
Putin, a former KGB agent, has ruled Russia as prime minister or president for more than 18 years, and in that time has crafted an image as a steely leader and the man best qualified to rebuild his country after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In a theatrical touch, a televised ceremony began Monday with Putin sitting at his desk in the Kremlin, suit jacket looped over his chair, as if hard at work until moments before the ceremony. A phone rang, letting him know it was time for his fourth term; he donned his jacket and walked alone through the redcarpeted Kremlin corridors and into a hall packed with about 6,000 cheering guests.
In a short speech, Putin said his focus is now turned to domestic matters and improving Russia’s economy for the “wellbeing of every family,” though there were no words of reconciliation in the country’s tense relations with the West.
“The country’s security and defense capabilities are reliably ensured,” Putin told the audience of government ministers, lawmakers, religious leaders and celebrities.
“Now we will use all the possibilities we have first of all for the resolution of internal, and most essential, tasks of development,” he said. “A new quality of life, well-being, security and health for the people, that is what is important today.”
Putin won re-election in March with nearly 77 percent of the vote, the largest margin for any post-Soviet leader. It was a result that his backers said showed widespread support, but one his critics dismissed as illustrating the stifling of any real opposition.
While lower key than Putin’s inauguration in 2012, the ceremony nevertheless had the air of a coronation.
The honor guard and flag bearers wore uniforms with tall military caps, of a style dating from Russia’s war with Napoleon in 1812. The ceremony itself unfolded in a Kremlin hall used to crown three czars — Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II — as well as previous presidential inaugurations. And later, Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, gave Putin an 18th century icon while blessing him for his new term.
Abroad, Putin has sought to restore Russia’s sway in world affairs. During his third term as president, he intervened militarily in Ukraine and Syria, putting him at loggerheads with the West. And, according to U.S. intelligence agencies, he directed Russia to meddle in the 2016 presidential election to aid Donald Trump.
At home, he has presided over the restitution to power of the security agency he once served, with many high officials and corporate executives now former officers like Putin. But the domestic economy has continued to lag, only recently emerging from a painful recession. He has also clamped down on critics, arresting scores of opposition activists and restricting the media.