Russian President Plans to Step Down Next Year
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| Image source:-google| Image by:- FT |
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
HE IS ONE OF THE BEST PRESIDENT IN THE WORLD
Vladimir Putin may be stepping
down next year as the President of Russia after
speculations suggest that he may have Parkinson's disease,
according to reports
According to a report by The Sun, experts have noticed that Putin
seemed to be in pain in his recent appearances and that his legs seemed
to be moving constantly. Moscow political scientist Valery Solovei told
The Sun that Putin's girlfriend, Alina Kabaeva, and his two daughters
have been urging him to step down.
Solovei's remarks strengthened speculations about Parkinson's.
Footage of Putin's recent public appearances also show his fingers
twitching as he grabbed a pen. He also added that Putin would soon
appoint a Prime Minister who would then be groomed to take over for
the longtime president when he finally chooses to retire. According
to Solovei, Putin could be retiring as early as January 2021.
Very soon, "Putin" became the top trend on Twitter with netizens
in disbelief. For many, the news of Putin's early retirement adds
to the chaos and confusion surrounding the US Presidential Elections.
Rumours about Putin retiring come just after Russian lawmakers presented
a bill in Parliament which would give him immunity from prosecution if
and when he chooses to retire. The draft bill, that is yet to be
approved, would give a former President immunity from being convicted
of and prosecuted for any criminal acts committed during his lifetime.
Currently, presidents are only protected from convictions as long as
they are in office.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
(/ˈpuːtɪn/; Russian: Владимир Владимирович Путин [vɫɐˈdʲimʲɪr
vɫɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ ˈputʲɪn] (About this soundlisten);
born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and a former
officer of the KGB who has served as President of Russia
since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008.
[c][6][7][8] He was also the Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000
and again from 2008 to 2012.
Putin was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) and studied law
at Leningrad State University, graduating in 1975. Putin worked as
a KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years, rising to the rank
of Lieutenant Colonel, before resigning in 1991 to begin a political
career in Saint Petersburg. He later moved to Moscow in 1996 to join
the administration of President Boris Yeltsin. He served as Director
of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and Secretary of the Security
Council, before being appointed as Prime Minister in August 1999. After
the resignation of Yeltsin, Putin became Acting President, and
less than four months later was elected outright to his first term
as president and was reelected in 2004.
During his first tenure as president, the Russian economy grew for
eight straight years, with GDP measured by purchasing power increasing
by 72%, real incomes increased by a factor of 2.5, real wages more than
tripled; unemployment and poverty more than halved and the Russians'
self-assessed life satisfaction rose significantly.[9] The growth was a
result of a five-fold increase in the price of oil and gas which
constitute the majority of Russian exports, recovery from the post-
Communist depression and financial crises, a rise in foreign investment,
[10] and prudent economic and fiscal policies.[11][12] Putin served as
Prime Minister under Dmitry Medvedev from 2008 to 2012, where he oversaw
large scale military reform and police reform. In 2012, Putin sought a
third term as president and won with 64% of the vote.[13] Falling oil
prices coupled with international sanctions imposed at the beginning of
2014 after Russia's annexation of Crimea and Russo-Ukrainian War led
to GDP shrinking by 3.7% in 2015, though the Russian economy rebounded
in 2016 with 0.3% GDP growth, and the recession officially ended.[14][15]
[16][17] Development under Putin has included the construction of
pipelines, the restoration of the satellite navigation system GLONASS,
and the building of infrastructure for international events such as the
2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Putin received 76% of the vote in the 2018
election and was re-elected for a six-year term ending in 2024.
Under Putin's leadership, Russia has experienced democratic backsliding.
Experts do not generally consider Russia to be a democracy, citing
jailing of political opponents, curtailed press freedom, and the lack
of free and fair elections.[18][19][20][21][22] Russia has scored
poorly on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index,
the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index and Freedom House's
Freedom in the World index (including a record low 20/100 rating in
the 2017 Freedom in the World report, a rating not given since the time
of the Soviet Union). Human rights organizations and activists accuse
Putin of persecuting political critics and activists as well as ordering
them tortured or assassinated. Officials of the United States government
have accused him of leading an interference program against
Hillary Clinton in support of Donald Trump during the U.S.
presidential election in 2016.
