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Under a series of constitutional amendments passed in 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin, 69, can serve as the country’s president until 2036 when he is 83 years old.
Russian law limits presidential terms to two consecutive six-year periods.
Previously, Russian presidents could only serve two consecutive four-year terms, but that changed in 2008 and again in 2020.
President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meet in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. | AP Newsroom
Putin was first elected as president in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004, 2012 and again in 2018. His current term ends in 2024, but the new amendments will allow him to stay in office for another 12 years rather than taking another six-year break.
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Putin reportedly told lawmakers in 2021 that he did not support completely eliminating term limits, but he did support amending the constitution to reset the number of terms he could serve, NPR reported.
The amendments passed in 2020 also lifted the age limit for government leaders from 65 to 70 if they want to continue to serve, according to Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets billionaire and businessman Gennady Timchenko at Bolshoi Ice Dome on May 10, 2019 in in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images) ((Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
So far, Putin has served a total of 16 years — including a year-long acting term, two four-year terms and two six-year terms — in the country‘s highest office.
When he was not serving as president, he took on the role of premier, allowing him to maintain some form of power for more than two decades — longer than any other Russian or Soviet leader since Josef Stalin, who led from 1924 until his death in 1953.
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In 1999, Putin served as acting president for a year after former Russian President Boris Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned after eight years in office. Putin won the next election in 2000 with 53% support from the country’s popular voting system.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – FEBRUARY 22, 2022 (Photo by Mikhail Klimentyev\TASS via Getty Images) (Mikhail Klimentyev\TASS via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Putin served his first official four-year term as president from 2000 to 2004 and again from 2004 to 2008. Between 2008 and 2012, Putin served as premier, during which time Dmitry Medvedev, a longtime ally of Putin, served as president and extended the presidential term to six years.
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In January of 2020, Putin unexpectedly reshuffled his inner circle, including the appointment of a new prime minister, and announced the constitutional reform to extend term limits.
If Putin decides he would rather retire in his old age, he can still receive 75 percent of the monthly salary for the president of Russia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
