JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Is Running Out of Options to Extend His Power; None of the relatively legitimate scenarios for keeping the Russian leader in power past 2024 look comfortable for him.” – Bloomberg/ Leonid Bershidsky
“… The Kremlin controls the Russian parliament … makin[g] it possible to change the constitution at any moment, making Putin president for life. … [a] ‘nuclear option’ … anathema to Putin … despite persistent election rigging in his favor. … That makes it difficult to follow the path laid out by Kazakhstan[‘s] … Nazarbayev. … [who] … resigned as president for a new role as ‘national leader for life’ with immunity from prosecution and a supervisory role over policy …. Another possibility … Russia’s merger with … Belarus …[with] Putin .. head[ing] up the unified [new] country. … A third scenario … watering down the powers of the Russian presidency, strengthening … parliament and installing Putin as .. powerful prime minister ….”
In 2008, Putin switched to prime minister with Medvedev holding title as president, so Putin could meet a Russian constitutional requirement regarding consecutive presidential terms. However, according to the author, Putin is now older, the economy is lackluster, there are “mounting problems with an out-of-control law enforcement apparatus” and Putin might have difficulty trusting an ally to serve as a nominal stand-in.
[featured image is file photo]