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Putin against revival of Soviet practice of unlimited stay in power

Putin thanked the veteran for his assessment of achievements

ST. PETERSBURG, January 18. /TASS/. The practice of giving lifelong rule, which was common in the late-Soviet era, cannot solve a task of transition of power and of stability of the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with World War Two veterans in St. Petersburg on Saturday.

At the meeting, a veteran asked Putin "to solve some problems related to our constitution" so that the presidential power cannot be "contained by a real term."

"In order the people can later decide whether the presidential work should be extended or they should be dismissed after being thanked for their work," the veteran said adding the president had managed to bolster the country’s defense capabilities, so he could start solving other tasks.

Putin thanked the veteran for his assessment of achievements.

"As for the terms for stay in power, I understand that many of our people are concerned about stability in society, about stability of the state, both external and domestic stability. Along with that, it would be very alarming to get back to the situation typical of the 1980s, when the leaders stayed in power one after another until their last day, then they were gone from power without providing conditions necessary for transition of power. So thank you, but I think we would rather not get back to the situation common for the middle of the 1980s," Putin concluded.

On Wednesday, Putin said in his State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly that he agrees the same person should not take the post of the head of state for more than two terms in row, although this question is of no fundamental importance to him.

Speaking at the year-end news conference in December 2019 Putin said it might be possible to cancel the constitutional provision the same person should not take the presidential seat for more than two terms in a row. He said that "some political scientists and public figures" found this formula confusing.