Russian Senate approves legislation on ‘zeroing out’ Putin’s presidential terms

Russia’s Federation Council has approved legislation allowing President Vladimir Putin (and former President Dmitry Medvedev) to run for the presidency in two more elections.

The law, which was adopted by the State Duma on March 24, was developed in conjunction with an array of amendments to the Russian Constitution, which were approved during a nationwide vote last summer.

The legislation states that a Russian citizen who has held the presidency for two terms already cannot be re-elected for another term. However, this requirement does not apply to the person who held the presidency at the time when the relevant amendments to the Russian constitution came into force. This reset of Putin’s presidential terms means that he could potentially stay in power until 2036. 

Now, all that’s left is for the Russian president to sign the bill into law.