Vladimir Putin believes that the Constitutional Court should determine whether he has the right to be re-elected to new presidential terms after citizens approve a new version of the Basic Law in a referendum in the spring.
The president stated this during an emergency speech in the State Duma, commenting on deputy Valentina Tereshkova’s proposal to “reset to zero” restrictions on presidential terms for Putin after the new Constitution comes into force.
At the same time, Putin believes that in the Constitution itself, restrictions on two presidential terms in a row should remain, since “the change of power is necessary for the development of the country,” and the new version of the Basic Law is laid down for a period of 30-50 years.
Putin also said that he does not see the need for early State Duma elections due to the adoption of the new Constitution.
“I don’t see the need for early State Duma elections,” Putin said, citing the fact that there is “no consensus” among parliamentary factions regarding the early re-election of deputies.
Thus, according to him, after the referendum on the Constitution, the current composition of the State Duma may receive new powers.