Election law passed in Russia allowing Putin two more terms

Vladimir Putin (69, pictured)’s permanent presidency is becoming reality. On Wednesday, the State Duma passed revised election law that will allow Putin two more terms as president of Russia.

According to TASS, the crux of this revised law is to keep the existing clause banning three consecutive presidential terms in Russia while excluding the years served until last year in the calculations. This will have the effect of resetting President Putin’s previous terms in office. Thanks to the revision, Putin can stay in power until 2036 once Putin wins the 2024 election,. Considering he will have turned 84 by 2036, the revision will in effect grant him permanent presidency.

Having first been sworn in office in 2000, Putin served two four-year terms in a row. Hitting the logjam of a ban on three consecutive terms, Putin put Dmitry Medvedev in office as president while effectively ruling Russia in the capacity of prime minister. While Putin was serving as prime minister, Russia’s presidential term was extended to six years. In 2012, Putin rose back to power and won another election in 2018. If Putin stays in power until 2036, it will get closer to the ruling years of Russia’s founding emperor Pyotr Alekseevich (43 years from 1672 to 1725.), far exceeding Iosif Stalin’s 31 years in dictatorship from 1922 to 1953, according to CNN.


Youn-Jong Kim zozo@donga.com