According to reports, Russian lawmakers have introduced legislation that provides Vladimir Putin with lifelong immunity from legal action, according to the reports.
Current law protects the sitting president from responsibility for crimes committed during his term, but the parliamentary group proposed to increase this immunity in addition to the president’s term, the Moscow Times reported.
Gestures of Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking at the annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club via video conference at the Novo-Ogario residence outside Moscow, Russia on Thursday, October 22, 2020
The group’s co-chair, Senator Andre Klihas, told reporters that the bill guarantees former presidents immunity beyond the terms of their presidential powers. “This extends the immunity guarantee for a president who stops using his power.”
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The move, if accused of serious crimes such as treason or other crimes in both chambers of the Russian parliament, would strip the presidents of defense by a two-thirds majority within three months.
Putin last week introduced a bill under constitutional amendments that would give him a lifetime seat in the Senate after leaving the presidency.
The Kremlin said during a press briefing on Thursday that many other countries offer lifetime guarantees to their former presidents.
Sloven and his wife want to become Russian-US dual nations.
Political analysts believe Putin’s plans could be a tool to stifle the term “lame duck”: when he chooses to step down rather than execute conditions and lose command, the Guardian reports.
The bill is part of a reform of Putin’s constitutional amendment that “resets” the president’s term limit, allowing him to continue running for office until the age of 84.
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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 resigned when Putin returned to office.
