MOSCOW (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law that potentially allows him to retain power until 2036, a move that formalizes constitutional changes endorsed in last year’s popular vote.
The July 1 constitutional vote included a clause that redefined Putin’s previous mandates, allowing him to run for president twice more. The change was stamped by the Kremlin-controlled legislature and the relevant law signed by Putin was published on Monday on an official legal information portal.
The 68-year-old Russian president, who has been in power for more than two decades – more than any other Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin – said he would later decide whether to run again in 2024, when his current six-year term ends.
He argued that resetting the term count was necessary to prevent his lieutenants from “rolling their eyes in search of possible successors” instead of normal work. “
Constitutional amendments also emphasized the priority of Russian law over international standards, banned same-sex marriages and mentioned “belief in God” as a central value. Russian lawmakers methodically modified national legislation, passing the relevant laws.