Soni Satti
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that allows him to stay in office until 2036, formalising constitutional changes approved by a popular vote last year.
Mr. Putin’s previous terms were reset as part of the constitutional vote on July 1, enabling him to run for President two more times. The Kremlin-controlled legislature approved the amendment, and the relevant law, signed by Mr. Putin, was posted on an official legal information site on Monday.
The 68-year-old Russian President, who has been in power for more than two decades — the longest tenure of any Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin — said he will decide later whether to run for re-election in 2024 when his current six-year term expires.
He asserted that resetting the term count was appropriate to prevent his lieutenants from “darting their eyes in search of possible successors’ instead of normal work.”
The constitutional amendments also emphasised Russian law’s precedence over international conventions, prohibited same-sex marriages, and listed “faith in God” as a core principle. Russian legislators have methodically changed national regulations, passing the necessary law.