According to reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill that would give former presidents immunity for life.
Legislators first introduced the bill in early November, which should extend the current presidential defense beyond the presidential term.
The Guardian reports that the final bill was posted online Tuesday, and includes immunity for members of the former president’s family.
Former presidents cannot be detained, arrested or subjected to search, interrogation or physical search.
The bill also provides the president with a lifetime meeting of the Federation Council or Senate, which would exempt him from proceedings.
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The former president can be stripped of immunity if he is charged with treason or similar serious offenses and if the Supreme and Constitutional Courts confirm the allegations, but the process will not be straightforward: the allegations must be lodged in the lower house of parliament, which is then required by the upper house. Should be. Give a overwhelming vote of support and it should be confirmed by both the constitutional and state courts.
Al Jazeera reports that the post-poll changes are part of a broader constitutional amendment that would allow Putin to remain president until 2036.
However, it is unclear whether Putin will run for re-election in 2024.
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Shortly after the bill was introduced in November, reports in the UK accused Putin of preparing to step down due to health problems, with some reports claiming that the Russian president had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov argued that with Putin “everything is fine” and labeling the reports as “absolute nonsense”, Russian officials were quick to dismiss the claims.
When asked about his plans for the next election, Putin said he would do whatever he could in the best interests of the country, according to the Moscow Times.
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Another living Russian could benefit from the new move would be Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 but left the post when Putin returned to office.