President Putin read the last federal message of his term
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his final State of the Nation address today, March 1, before ending his term in office. The speech was noted in the context of less than 3 weeks to go until the presidential election in which Mr. Putin is one of 8 candidates.
The Russian leader once again affirmed that the government's top priority is to protect the people, help them become more prosperous and develop their potential. He also stressed the need to ensure rapid economic growth in the coming years.
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| Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and senior officials in the audience. Photo: Reuters |
President Putin's State of the Union address begins at 12 noon local time on March 1 (4:00 p.m. Vietnam time) and usually lasts about an hour. This is Mr. Putin's 14th State of the Union address and the last State of the Union address before the end of his third presidential term.
The reason this State of the Union speech is considered special is because normally the Russian President will read the State of the Union address in December before the parliament and this message will be considered a guideline for Russian policymakers.
This year, for the first time in a decade, the State of the Union address was postponed until March 1, just before the presidential election. In addition, the agenda was announced by Mr. Putin’s campaign strategy director, rather than Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Mr. Putin's State of the Nation Address is also considered an opportunity for him to announce his election platform without participating in any live debate on television.
Regarding the content of the State of the Nation Address, observers believe that President Putin will mention many important issues of the country such as promoting economic growth, increasing people's income, social reform as well as foreign policies focusing on hot spots such as the Middle East, the Korean peninsula and the Russia-US relationship.
