Putin opens door to stay in power until 2036

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday opened the door to constitutional changes that would allow him to remain in power until 2036 if he chose to do so, despite saying he had misgivings about the legal amendments.

Putin, who in January unveiled a major shake-up of Russian politics and a constitutional overhaul, is required by the constitution to step down in 2024 when his second sequential and fourth presidential term ends.

But addressing the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, Putin on Tuesday gave what he suggested was his reluctant blessing to a proposed change to the constitution that would formally reset his presidential term tally to zero.

“The proposal to remove restrictions for any person, including the incumbent president ... In principle, this option would be possible, but on one condition - if the constitutional court gives an official ruling that such an amendment would not contradict the principles and main provisions of the constitution,” Putin said. Russian lawmakers in the lower house of parliament approved Vladimir Putin´s package of constitutional amendments in a key second reading on Tuesday, including a possibility he could run again for president. A total of 382 MPs voted for the package of changes to the constitution, with 44 abstaining. Lawmakers will vote for the measures in the third and final reading on Wednesday, speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said.

The reforms will give parliament the power to choose the government, while strengthening some presidential powers and increasing the role of the State Council, an advisory body. This fuelled speculation that Putin could stay on after 2024 as the head of the State Council, though he has denied any wish to remain in power. Some proposals aim at boosting living standards, including a guaranteed minimum wage and state pensions adjusted to inflation. And — in line with Putin’s strongly conservative views — the reforms would enshrine a mention of Russians’ “faith in God” and spell out that marriage is a heterosexual union. The State Duma, dominated by Putin’s allies, unanimously approved an initial version of the reform bill in a first reading in late January, after less than two hours of debate. The session for the second reading began at noon (0900 GMT) on Tuesday. A third reading — largely considered a final technicality — may take place as early as Wednesday.

The upper house Federation Council has also put the reforms bill on its agenda for Wednesday. Putin has promised a public vote on the reforms once they are approved by parliament, though it is unclear exactly what form that vote will take. A date for a plebescite has been set for April 22. Russia’s opposition, including Putin’s most prominent critic Alexei Navalny, have criticised the proposals, but there has not been an upswell of public resistance. According to a study by the Levada Centre, an independent pollster, 64 percent of Russians did not have a clear idea of what the proposals meant.