ionigeria.com Nigerian Newspaper
Vladimir Putin moved a step closer to becoming ‘president for life’ today as Russian MPs approved a law that would let him stay in power until 2036.
Putin, 68, was due to be term-limited out of office in 2024 but last year won public backing to amend Russia‘s constitution and pave the way for two more terms.
The necessary legislation has now passed the lower house of Russia’s parliament and only needs to get through the upper chamber before Putin can sign it into law.
The Kremlin strongman, who has already been in power for more than 20 years, would be eligible for two-more six-year terms that would take him to 2036.
Putin won his first presidential election in 2000 after taking over as acting president when Boris Yeltsin resigned on the final day of the 20th century.
He won another term in 2004, before moving to the prime minister’s office in 2008 while Dmitry Medvedev held the fort as president.
Putin and Medvedev then swapped jobs in 2012, with Putin returning to the presidency for a six-year term.
He won a fourth term in 2018, but would have been ineligible in 2024 under a constitutional provision banning more than two consecutive terms.
