MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that will allow him to run for two more six-year terms, granting himself the chance to remain in power until 2036.
According to the legislation, the legislation allows him to run for two more six-year terms once his current stint ends in 2024. It follows changes to the constitution last year.
Under the previous constitution, Putin, who has already been in power for more than two decades, would have been required to have stepped down after his second consecutive term ends in 2024.
However, amendments approved by Russians in a nationwide vote last year allow him to run for two more six-year presidential terms. The amendments were passed by the State Duma in late March.
The reform, which critics cast as a constitutional coup, was packaged with an array of other amendments that were expected to garner popular support. The law signed by Putin limits any future president to two terms in office, but resets his term count.
It prevents anyone who has held foreign citizenship from running for the Kremlin. He is currently serving his second consecutive term as president and his fourth in total.
