Russia’s president Vladimir Putin said that the nationwide vote on constitutional changes he proposed wouldn’t be used to extend his current term in office.
He previously explained that he rushed the recently proposed reforms with the intention to strengthen government bodies. However, he remained secretive about his future political plans.
Analysts see Putin’s amendments as part of his efforts to stay in power after his current presidential term ends in 2024, but it is not clear from the proposed changes how exactly he could do that.
“I didn’t propose that to extend my authority. The election of the head of state must be held on a competitive basis”, Putin said.
He added that he wants a nationwide vote as “the highest form of democracy”, and that it will “make people feel engaged, feel themselves as co-authors of the document.” He also said that he hopes that the changes could be completed in just over three months.
Putin has been in power for more than 20 years, both as a president and as a prime minister.
Putin remains secretive about his future political plans
EPA-EFE/YURI KOCHETKOV
Russian President Vladimir Putin answers questions during his annual life-broadcasted news conference with Russian and foreign media at the World Trade Center in Moscow, Russia, 19 December 2019. A total of 1,895 journalists were accredited for Putin's annual news conference.
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