JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin is brazenly trying to make himself president for life” – Washington Post Editorial
“… Constitutional amendments already in the works will now include a provision allowing [Putin] to serve two more terms. That could extend his time in office to 2036, when he will be 83. … [Putin] could rule Russia for 36 years, more than a decade longer than Joseph Stalin. … a recipe for stagnation, akin to the corrosive paralysis … during the late Soviet era. … Putin and his cronies have accumulated not only extraordinary power but also vast riches, including sprawling compounds and billions stashed in foreign banks. A change of power, even to a successor of Mr. Putin’s choosing, might imperil those gains, or even expose the ex-leader to accountability. …”