Russia’s Vladimir Putin just got one step closer to being "president" for life

Onkel Neal · 03-10-20, 08:00 PM

When are people going quit going along with calling dictators "president"?

https://www.vox.com/2020/3/10/211734...ts-coronavirus

Quote:

“for [the] long term, society must have guarantees for the regular change of power,” adding, “This is why I do not believe it is viable to delete the restriction on the number of presidential terms from the Constitution.”

In other words, this might not always be a good idea, but it’s a good idea for Russia right now. “I have no doubt that the day will come when the supreme, presidential power in Russia will not be so personified, if I may say so, that it will not be connected to a certain individual,” Putin said.

Except for him. Sad.

Aktungbby · 03-10-20, 08:08 PM

look on the bright side... he's old(one year younger than I

) and now they won't find anyone who's actually more dangerously competent! My puzzlement is why would any one want the job longer than the 20 years he's already served?

Skybird · 03-10-20, 08:52 PM

Can you imagine him to survive for long after he has given up the powers he has as president? He must have made himself a hilarious ammount of enemies amongst economic tycoons, oligarchs, mafiosi, and fat cats embedded in the government-bureaucracy's internal "nest structure". He can live probably only as long as he stays strong and in control. No way out, no way back.

Also, he is kind of possessed, he is a driven one. I think many people in the West misunderstand how much he really believes in what he is doing and in the Russia he has formed and created. He is an offender by conviction. His passion is ice-coldly executed and carried out - but a passion it is.

Or in brief: he has no other choice than to continue.

And why not? Even if his scores with the Russian people currently are fluctuating, most Russians still support him and will not resist to these changes now. He changes the rules, he is authoritarian, and Russians by huge majority will tolerate both. So why should he stop?

You could as well ask why Trump should candidate for a second term. Why should he not...? Dispite all what speaks against him, many Americans still loyally stand behind him and forgive him his lies, his failures, his duds, his incompetence and verbal excesses and impossible behaviour. They are willing to let him get away.

It could be that Putin overstays his time and misses the right time when his populaerity falls below what can ,maintain his stay in power. Many powerpoliticians miss the right time to step back. But this time is not yet here for Putin, I think.

Catfish · 03-11-20, 03:17 AM

Nullyfying the last election periods to start counting anew

, nothing else than a coup d'état. But we already had a thread about that.

ikalugin · 03-11-20, 03:52 AM

Some clarifications (from my understanding and I can be wrong):

- there are two separate initiatives, to allow unlimited number of term limits and to reset the number of terms served, with the later being justified by the change in the nature of the presidency.
- the first initiative got shut down completely in the speech by Putin while the second was sent to the judicial review and now awaits it.
- even if the amendments do pass judicial review, referendum and so on they would not make Putin president for life - he would still need to win in two 6 year election cycles and then he would no longer be elegible (this is where 2036 date comes from - 2024+6+6).

p.s. read the article

As to the surprise - we are living in lean-agile political climate, so rapid change is the norm. However it is too early to say where this initiative would end, it would appear that CC may be used as a tool to legitimise post transition system by not passing those amendments in the judicial review.

Catfish · 03-11-20, 04:05 AM

When Putin dies before the last cycle he was [whatever] for life

Kazuaki Shimazaki II · 03-11-20, 04:01 AM

I'm curious as to how that would even be phrased in a Constitution, since those are the most abstract of legal instruments and now we have to enter a one-time exception (a very concrete measure) into it.

But to be fair to Putin, back when his words can be taken as a push for less centralization, people were horribly hostile and assuming the worst anyway. In a sense, what's the point of being nice, then...

03-10-20, 08:08 PM	#2
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 30,014 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	look on the bright side... he's old(one year younger than I) and now they won't find anyone who's actually more dangerously competent! My puzzlement is why would any one want the job longer than the 20 years he's already served? __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness?!!

03-10-20, 08:52 PM	#3
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,630 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Can you imagine him to survive for long after he has given up the powers he has as president? He must have made himself a hilarious ammount of enemies amongst economic tycoons, oligarchs, mafiosi, and fat cats embedded in the government-bureaucracy's internal "nest structure". He can live probably only as long as he stays strong and in control. No way out, no way back. Also, he is kind of possessed, he is a driven one. I think many people in the West misunderstand how much he really believes in what he is doing and in the Russia he has formed and created. He is an offender by conviction. His passion is ice-coldly executed and carried out - but a passion it is. Or in brief: he has no other choice than to continue. And why not? Even if his scores with the Russian people currently are fluctuating, most Russians still support him and will not resist to these changes now. He changes the rules, he is authoritarian, and Russians by huge majority will tolerate both. So why should he stop? You could as well ask why Trump should candidate for a second term. Why should he not...? Dispite all what speaks against him, many Americans still loyally stand behind him and forgive him his lies, his failures, his duds, his incompetence and verbal excesses and impossible behaviour. They are willing to let him get away. It could be that Putin overstays his time and misses the right time when his populaerity falls below what can ,maintain his stay in power. Many powerpoliticians miss the right time to step back. But this time is not yet here for Putin, I think. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

03-11-20, 03:17 AM	#4
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 17,766 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Nullyfying the last election periods to start counting anew , nothing else than a coup d'état. But we already had a thread about that. __________________ >^..^<*)))>{ All generalizations are wrong.

03-11-20, 03:52 AM	#5
ikalugin Ocean Warrior Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Moscow, Russia Posts: 3,212 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	Some clarifications (from my understanding and I can be wrong): - there are two separate initiatives, to allow unlimited number of term limits and to reset the number of terms served, with the later being justified by the change in the nature of the presidency. - the first initiative got shut down completely in the speech by Putin while the second was sent to the judicial review and now awaits it. - even if the amendments do pass judicial review, referendum and so on they would not make Putin president for life - he would still need to win in two 6 year election cycles and then he would no longer be elegible (this is where 2036 date comes from - 2024+6+6). p.s. read the article As to the surprise - we are living in lean-agile political climate, so rapid change is the norm. However it is too early to say where this initiative would end, it would appear that CC may be used as a tool to legitimise post transition system by not passing those amendments in the judicial review. __________________ Grumpy as always.

03-11-20, 04:05 AM	#6
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 17,766 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	When Putin dies before the last cycle he was [whatever] for life __________________ >^..^<*)))>{ All generalizations are wrong.

03-11-20, 04:01 AM	#7
Kazuaki Shimazaki II Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,140 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	I'm curious as to how that would even be phrased in a Constitution, since those are the most abstract of legal instruments and now we have to enter a one-time exception (a very concrete measure) into it. But to be fair to Putin, back when his words can be taken as a push for less centralization, people were horribly hostile and assuming the worst anyway. In a sense, what's the point of being nice, then...