Term restart

The constitutional amendment was proposed Tuesday by lawmaker Valentina Tereshkova, a former Soviet cosmonaut who was the first woman in space in 1963.

The measure restarts Putin’s term to zero, once it is up in 2024. It would allow him to run for president twice more after that, if he chooses.

The review of the provision by the Constitutional Court is widely seen as a formality.

Resetting term limits allows Putin to avoid becoming a lame duck, helping him rein in political elites who were nervous about who would succeed him.

“It’s important to prevent the elites running into different directions in the search for successor,” said Moscow-based political analyst Ekaterina Schulmann.

Other constitutional changes further strengthen the presidency and emphasize the priority of Russian law over international norms — a provision reflecting the Kremlin’s irritation with the European Court for Human Rights and other international bodies that have often issued verdicts against Russia. The changes also outlaw same-sex marriage and mention “a belief in God” as one of Russia’s traditional values.

The motion to restart the term count for Putin from scratch prompted immediate calls for protests from various opposition groups. On Tuesday night, about 200 people gathered near the Kremlin and lined up to hold solo pickets — the only form of protest in Russia that is legal without prior authorization from the government.

“It was clear from the start that it is being done to keep Putin in power forever,” opposition activist Alexei Miniaylo, who called for the pickets on his Facebook page