Vladimir Putin

**Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin** (; born 7 October 1952) is a Roushie politeecian that is seicont Preses o the Roushie Federation the nou an wis the Prime Meenister o Roushie, as weel as chairman o Unitit Roushie an Chairman o the Cooncil o Meenisters o the Union State. He became actin Preses on 31 December 1999, whan preses Boris Yeltsin resigned in a surprisin muive. Putin wan the 2000 presidential election an in 2004 he wis re-elected for a seicont term lastin till 7 Mey 2008. He wis reelect in 2012.

For 16 year Putin wis an officer in the KGB, risin tae the rank o Lieutenant Colonel afore he retired tae enter politics in his native Saunt Petersburg in 1991. He flittit tae Moscow in 1996 an jyned Preses Boris Yeltsin's admeenistration whaur he rose tite, acomin Actin Preses on 31 December 1999 whan Yeltsin  unexpectit resigned. Putin won the subsequent 2000 presidential election, despite widespread accusations o vote-riggin, an wis reelectit in 2004. Acause o constitutionally mandatit term leemits, Putin wis ineligible tae run for a third consecutive presidential term in 2008. Dmitry Medvedev won the 2008 presidential election an appyntit Putin as Prime Meenister, beginnin a period o sae-caed "tandemocracy". In September 2011, follaein a chynge in the law extendin the presidential term frae fower year tae sax, Putin annoonced that he wad seek a third, non-consecutive term as Preses in the 2012 presidential election, an announcement that led tae lairge-scale protests in mony Roushie ceeties. In Mairch 2012, he won the election, that wis criticized for procedural irregularities, an is servin a sax-year term.

Mony o Putin's actions are regardit bi the domestic opposeetion an foreign observers as undemocratic. The 2011 Democracy Index statit that Roushie wis in "a lang process o regression [that] culminatit in a move frae a hybrid tae an authoritarian regime" in view o Putin's candidacy an flawed pairlamentary elections. In 2014, Roushie wis temporarily suspendit frae the G8 group as a result o its annexation o Crimea.

During Putin's first premiership an presidency (1999–2008) real incomes in Roushie rose bi a factor o 2.5, while real wages mair nor tripled; unemployment an poverty mair nor halved. Roushies' self-assessed life satisfaction rose signeeficantly an aa. Putin's first presidency wis markit bi heich economic growth: the Roushie economy grew for aicht year, seein GDP increase bi 72% in PPP (as for nominal GDP, 600%). This growth wis a combined result o the 2000s commodities boom, heich ile prices, as weel as prudent economic an fiscal policies.

As Roushie's preses, Putin an the Federal Assembly passed intae law a flat income tax o 13%, a reduced profits tax, an new land an legal codes. As Prime Meenister, Putin owersaw lairge-scale militar an polis reform. His energy policy haes affirmed Roushie's poseetion as an energy superpouer. Putin supportit heich-tech industries lik the nuclear an defence industries. A rise in foreign investment contreibutit tae a boom in such sectors as the automotive industry. Housamever, caipital investment recently dropped 2.5% acause o the crisis in Ukraine accordin tae forecasts bi economists frae the IMF.

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