Putin is allowed to pass from Parliament to 83rd | Abroad

The possible additional terms of office for the 68-year-old Putin are part of a package of reforms. Voters were allowed to vote on this in a referendum last year. After the approval by the State Duma, the upper house of parliament must also give the green light. This is expected to happen later this month. After that, the president himself also has to put his signature on it.

Putin has dominated Russian politics for about 20 years. The former KGB intelligence officer was alternately president and prime minister, but always the undisputed leader of his country. By switching positions, he was able to bypass the limit on the president’s maximum terms in office.

The opposition is not getting a foot in the door in Putin’s Russia. The president remains very popular among a large segment of the population, according to independent polls. His political opponent Alexei Navalni is now serving a 2.5-year prison sentence in a penal colony. This means that the opposition leader is unlikely to be able to play a significant role in the run-up to this year’s parliamentary elections.

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