Russia amends constitution, Mr. Putin may be President for life

At a meeting of the ruling United Russia Party on December 26, Russian officials mentioned the scenario that incumbent President Putin could continue to lead the country when the current term limit ends.

President Vladimir Putin. Photo: NDTV.

In March 2018, Mr. Putin was re-elected as President of the Russian Federation for another 6-year term. The country's Constitution does not allow President Putin to run again in 2024, when his second consecutive term ends. However, Russian officials have hinted that President Putin, who has led Russia for nearly 2 decades, could amend the Constitution to continue holding power.

“There are questions in society. Now is the time when we can answer them without threatening the fundamental provisions of the Constitution… Law, even a document like the Constitution (Basic Law), is not dogma,” State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin told Putin, according to a transcript of the meeting obtained by Bloomberg.

Mr. Volodin also said that the current Russian Constitution was built 25 years ago, and the quarter-century anniversary of its adoption may be a good time to reassess the provisions of this document. The speaker of the State Duma Volodin proposed that Constitutional Court judges and legal experts participate in assessing “how the Constitution and the rules for its development are consistent with the principles adopted.”

President Putin is cautious

The minutes of the meeting with the United Russia Party did not mention President Putin's reaction to Mr. Volodin's proposal. Responding to questions from the press, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on December 26 also refused to comment on this issue. However, analysts said that the amendment to the Russian Constitution would be easily passed if Mr. Putin supported it.

Speaking to reporters after his re-election as president in March, Mr. Putin said: “At this moment, I have no plans to reform the Constitution… What will I do, will I rule until I am 100? No, I have no such intention.”

However, speculation about the possibility of amending the Constitution has been growing. Earlier this month, President Putin said the Constitution is “not a fossilized legal structure, but a living, constantly evolving one.” Speaking at his annual press conference last week, the Russian leader also said any changes to the Constitution should be a matter for the people to comment on.

Term limits

President Vladimir Putin is 66 years old and in good health. “The general feeling is that there is no one who can replace President Putin as the guardian of the regime. There is no potential political candidate who can guarantee admiration among the people. Therefore, the best option is probably to change the structure to ensure that Putin remains at the center of the decision-making process,” said political analyst Valery Solovei at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

Another possibility, according to Mr. Solovei, is that Russia upgrades an advisory body called the State Council into a supreme power body headed by Mr. Putin. The expert said the process of amending the Constitution could begin in 2020.

President Putin speaks after being re-elected for a fourth term. Photo: RT

In November 2008, the Federation Council (upper house) of Russia approved an amendment to the country's Constitution, increasing the presidential term from 4 years to 6 years and the term of the State Duma (lower house) from 4 years to 5 years. In his 2008 state of the nation address, then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that the Russian Government supported increasing the term of each presidential term by 2 years to give the head of state enough time to implement reform proposals. However, the provision that a president cannot serve more than 2 consecutive terms remains in effect.

In the election on March 18, 2018, incumbent President Vladimir Putin received 76.66% of the votes, thereby winning overwhelmingly and continuing to lead Russia as president until 2024.

However, if the Constitution is not amended, Mr. Putin will not be allowed to run in 2024 because he has served two consecutive terms as president. However, he can completely run for president again in 2030 because the law does not prohibit former presidents from running. Mr. Putin himself also did this when he held the position of Prime Minister of the Russian Federation from 2008 to 2012, while Mr. Dmitry Medvedev held the position of president./.