Critics see Putin’s constitutional changes as an attempt to extend his rule
by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a draft bill for sweeping constitutional changes Monday, in what some see as an effort by the leader to extend his two-decades-long rule after leaving office in 2024.
The bill, which was supported by all members of Putin’s 75-member working group, proposes to change 13 articles of the Russian constitution and to give it more weight than international acts, as well as to carve out new levers of power outside the president and prime minister, which Putin could fill once his term ends.
Putin said last week ahead of releasing the bill to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, that it will “strengthen the role of civil society, political parties, and regions in making key decisions about the development of our state.”
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny said the move indicated Putin’s intention to “rule until he dies,” the longtime president lagging behind only Joseph Stalin in terms of the length of time he’s governed Russia.