Russia, Referendum Votes Overwhelmingly in Favor... Putin Opens Path to 'Lifetime Presidency'

Putin Can Remain in Power Until 2036
Longest Reign Since Stalin

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] With the Russian constitutional amendment expected to pass the national referendum smoothly, the foundation for Vladimir Putin's long-term presidency has been laid. Putin, known as the 'Tsar,' a term referring to the emperors of Imperial Russia, has effectively become able to hold power for life.

On the 1st (local time), the Russian Central Election Commission reported that with about 90% of the votes counted in the constitutional amendment referendum, 78% voted in favor of the amendment. The opposition rate was around 21%. The voter turnout was recorded at 65%.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The Russian constitution prohibits a president from serving more than three consecutive terms. For this reason, President Putin, who succeeded in his re-election, was not allowed to run in the 2024 presidential election. However, through this constitutional amendment, President Putin is now eligible to run.

The amendment maintains the term limits but resets the term count under the new constitution, citing reasons such as the reallocation of presidential powers through the amendment. Since the Russian presidential term is six years, President Putin can remain in power until 2032.

With the passage of the amendment, all obstacles to President Putin's long-term rule have been removed. Putin, who has held the highest position in Russia for the longest period since former Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin, can now serve as president until the age of 84 through this amendment. After succeeding Boris Yeltsin, who resigned mid-term, Putin took office as Russia's president in 2000. After his re-election, he appointed Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as president (the 5th president) while he himself served as prime minister. He then ran again and was consecutively elected, becoming the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th president.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Putin has only slightly opened the door regarding the possibility of running in the next presidential election. With this amendment, he can also serve as the 8th and 9th president.

The constitutional referendum was originally scheduled for April but was postponed once due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Russia also allowed early voting for six days from the 25th to the 30th of last month, citing the COVID-19 spread and other reasons.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.