Russian president, Putin, signs law allowing him to remain in power till 2036

Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has signed a new law that allows him to run for two more terms that will take his presidency to 2036.

The 68-year-old Putin who is currently into his fourth term in office, signed the law on Monday, but said he would decide later whether to run again in 2024 when his current term ends

The new law also formalises constitutional changes endorsed in a vote last year.

The 1 July, 2020, constitutional vote included a provision that reset Putin’s previous term limits, allowing him to run for president two more times.

The change was rubber-stamped by the Kremlin-controlled legislature and the relevant law signed by Putin was posted on an official portal of legal information.

Putin has been in power longer than any other Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator, Josef Stalin, and in 2024 when his current tenure expires, would have spent over 20 years as president.

He has often argued that resetting the term count was necessary to keep his lieutenants focused on their work instead of “darting their eyes in search for possible successors.”

The opposition has consistently criticized the constitutional vote, arguing that it was tarnished by widespread reports of pressure on voters and other irregularities, as well as a lack of transparency and hurdles hindering independent monitoring.