Putin Will Step Down as President After Term Expires In 2024

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Vladimir Putin said on Friday he would respect the Russian constitution which bans anyone from serving two consecutive presidential terms, meaning he will step down from his post in 2024 when his current term expires.

His remarks, made to reporters at an economic forum in St Petersburg and broadcast on state TV, are not a surprise and do not necessarily mean he will relinquish power in six years.

Putin has stepped down as president once before, in 2008, after serving two back-to-back terms only to return in 2012 after doing a stint as prime minister, a maneuver he would be legally entitled to carry out again.

“I have always strictly abided by and abide by the constitution of the Russian Federation,” Putin said, when asked if and when he would be leaving office.

“In the constitution it’s clearly written that nobody can serve more than two terms in a row … I intend to abide by this rule.”

Putin easily won re-election in March, extending his tenure by six years to 24 – which would make him Moscow’s longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin./Reuters </s> Vladimir Putin, on Friday, said he would respect the Russian constitution which bans anyone from serving more than two consecutive presidential terms.

This means he will step down from his position in 2024 when his current term expires.

Putin’s remarks were made to reporters at an economic forum in St Petersburg and broadcast on state TV.

He has stepped down as president once before in 2008, after serving two back-to-back terms, only to return in 2012 after doing a stint as prime minister, a maneuver he would be legally entitled to carry out again.

“I have always strictly abide by the constitution of the Russian Federation.

“In the constitution it’s clearly written that nobody can serve more than two terms in a row … I intend to abide by this rule,” Putin said.

Putin was re-elected in March, extending his tenure by six years, which would make him Moscow’s longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. </s> | Published Sun, May 27th 2018 at 00:00, Updated May 26th 2018 at 21:13 GMT +3

Vladimir Putin said on Friday he would respect the Russian constitution which bans anyone from serving two consecutive presidential terms, meaning he will step down from his post in 2024 when his current term expires.

His remarks, made to reporters at an economic forum in St Petersburg and broadcast on state TV, are not a surprise and do not necessarily mean he will relinquish power in six years.

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Putin has stepped down as president once before, in 2008, after serving two back-to-back terms only to return in 2012 after doing a stint as prime minister, a maneuver he would be legally entitled to carry out again </s> Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on a screen at the stand of Russian state oil major Rosneft during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia May 25, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin said on Friday he would respect the Russian constitution which bans anyone from serving two consecutive presidential terms, meaning he will step down from his post in 2024 when his current term expires.

His remarks, made to reporters at an economic forum in St Petersburg and broadcast on state TV, are not a surprise and do not necessarily mean he will relinquish power in six years.

Putin has stepped down as president once before, in 2008, after serving two back-to-back terms only to return in 2012 after doing a stint as prime minister, a maneuver he would be legally entitled to carry out again.

“I have always strictly abided by and abide by the constitution of the Russian Federation,” Putin said, when asked if and when he would be leaving office.

“In the constitution it’s clearly written that nobody can serve more than two terms in a row ... I intend to abide by this rule.”

Putin easily won re-election in March, extending his tenure by six years to 24 - which would make him Moscow’s longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. </s> Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday hinted that he might return to power as prime minister — as he did in 2008 — after his time as president ends in 2024.

“I have always abided strictly and will abide to Russia’s constitution. The constitution clearly says no more than two consecutive terms (are allowed),” Putin said when asked at the Saint Petersburg Forum if he would leave power in 2024.

“This is now my second term in a row,” the Russian leader said.

In 2008, after serving two consecutive terms as president, Putin’s ally Dmitry Medvedev became president while Putin moved to the post of prime minister before returning to the presidency four years later.

But observers said Putin remained the most powerful man in the country.

“Remember the previous time I left the presidential post, I also plan to stick to the rules this time,” he said, in a possible hint that he could repeat his earlier move to the premiership in 2024.

Asked on the eve of March 2018 polls if he planned to run for the presidency in 2030, Putin said: “Am I supposed to be in this post till I’m 100 years old? No!”

Putin, who has led Russia since 1999, will be 71 when his term ends in 2024. </s> MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he would not serve more than two presidential terms in a row, as the Russian constitution states.

His current presidential term, his second in succession, ends in 2024. </s> Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he would not serve more than two presidential terms in a row, as the Russian constitution states.

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he would not serve more than two presidential terms in a row, as the Russian constitution states.

His current presidential term, his second in succession, ends in 2024. </s> Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on May 25, 2018 in St. Petersburg.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that investigations swirling around President Trump are interfering with improved relations with Moscow, noting he has had little contact with the U.S. president.

"We are hostages to this internal strife in the United States,' Putin said at an economic forum in St. Petersburg. "I hope that it will end some day and the objective need for the development of Russian-American relationships will prevail.'

In wide-ranging remarks to reporters and during the televised conference, Putin also said he would step down from his post in 2024, adhering to the Russian constitution ban on anyone serving two consecutive presidential terms.

That pledge, however, does not necessarily mean Putin will retire. In 2008, he stepped down after two consecutive terms to become prime minister, then returned in 2012 to the presidency. He was re-elected in March to a six-year term through 2024.

At the forum, attended by such world leaders as French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Russian president bemoaned the state of relations with America, criticized U.S. sanctions against Russia and slammed Trump's decision to withdrawal from an international nuclear agreement with Iran.

Noting that an international watchdog agency has confirmed that Tehran was abiding by the agreement over its nuclear program, Putin asked: "What should it be punished for, then?'

The move by Trump to pull out of the deal has also strained relations between Washington and Europe.

"If international agreements are revised every four years it would offer zero horizon for planning,' Putin said. "It will create the atmosphere of nervousness and lack of trust.'

The Russian president also criticized the imposition of Western sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. In addition, the U.S. has applied sanctions in response to Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.

Putin bemoaned the "chaotic" situation of economic punishment and said the "sanctions baton" is being used more often in the world, and not just toward Moscow.

"The situation in the world is such that it is as though everyone is playing football, but at the same time, they are applying judo rules to it [the match]," he said. "So, we end up with this interesting game, it's neither football, nor judo. It's just chaos."

The ever-confident Russian leader also took an opportunity to chide Macron over Europe's rift with Trump regarding Iran.

A smiling Putin said in the exchange with the French president that Russia could help protect Europe if its dispute with the U.S. widens.

"Don't you worry, we will help ensure your security,' Putin promised.

Macron responded on a serious note that France and its allies could stand for themselves. </s> Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a series of measures to soften a deeply unpopular pension reform, in an apparent attempt to stem a fall in his approval ratings.

In a rare televised address, Putin suggested raising the state pension age by five years to 60 years for women, instead of the earlier proposed eight-year hike to 63, among other measures.

"The treatment of women in our country is special, gentle," Putin said in the speech.

The proposed retirement-age hike for men — by five years to 65 — will remain unchanged.

The Russian leader, 65, also suggested early retirement for mothers with large families. And he said companies that fire or refuse to hire employees because they are nearing pension age should face administrative or criminal liability.

The proposed reform — already approved by parliament’s lower house in a first reading in July — has led to a rare outburst of public anger, with tens of thousands rallying across Russia in recent weeks.

Putin had sought to distance himself from the measures and had been widely expected to soften the proposals to buttress his falling approval ratings.

At the same time, Putin reiterated on Wednesday that tough measures were needed, citing "serious demographic problems" stemming from the country’s losses during World War 2 and the fallout from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"We will have to make a hard, difficult, but necessary decision," Putin said, adding his proposals would soon be sent to the Russian parliament’s lower house, the State Duma. "I ask you to treat this with understanding."

The state pension age in Russia is among the lowest in the world and the proposed reform will be the first such hike in nearly 90 years. But given Russians’ low life expectancy, many people will not live long enough under the proposed system to receive a state pension.

However, the government says the burden is too great for its stretched finances as the economy struggles under western sanctions.

Putin, who had previously vowed not to raise the pension age, has seen public trust in his presidency fall to 64% in July, down from 80% in May, according to data from VTsIOM state pollster. The last time his ratings were so low was in January 2014, just months before his popularity skyrocketed following the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he will respect the Russian constitution and step down when his term expires in 2024.