Putin Says Better Not To Get Back To Indefinite Terms For Heads Of State In Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the practice of heads of state remaining in power indefinitely is something to better be avoided in today's Russia despite the citizens' concerns about stability

ST. PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2020) Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the practice of heads of state remaining in power indefinitely is something to better be avoided in today's Russia despite the citizens' concerns about stability.

Putin spoke at a meeting with World War II veterans in St. Petersburg. One of the attendees asked him whether the country's constitution could be changed in a way to "not limit presidency with any concrete terms" so that people can decide should a given president remain or resign based on their achievements. The veteran also thanked Putin for having enforced Russia's defense capacity, adding that the president can now focus on solving other problems.

"With regard to presidential terms, I understand that ... for many of our people it has to do with concerns about stability in the society, stability in the country, both external and domestic stability," Putin said in response.

"At the same time, it would be worrisome to go back to the situation like in the mid-1980s when the heads of state one after another remained in power till the end of their days and left without arranging for adequate conditions for power transformation. So thank you, but I believe that it is better to not get back to it, to the situation like it was in the mid-80s," Putin said.