Original title: Second reading of constitutional amendment draft passed by Russian parliament, it is possible for Putin to run for president again
On March 10, local time, the State Duma of Russia (the lower house of parliament) adopted the Second Reading of the draft amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the "Amendment to the Constitution").
According to news from the Russian News Agency on March 10, the State Duma of the Russian State conducted a second reading of the draft amendment to the Constitution that day, and 382 representatives who participated in the National Duma Plenary voted in favour of the draft, and 44 representatives abstained. No one opposed it. In preparation for the second reading draft, the State Duma received nearly 400 constitutional amendment opinions on national construction and legislation, of which about 200 were considered.
On the 10th, Russian President Putin went to the State Duma to deliver a speech, saying that he did not agree to remove the restrictions on the number of Russian presidential terms in the Russian constitution, but also expressed his intention to run for president again after the constitution was revised.
According to the Russian News Agency, before Putin arrived at the meeting, Valentina Tereshkova, a member of the "United Russia Party" and the world's first female astronaut, proposed that the limit on the number of presidential terms should be removed in the constitutional amendment, or After the constitutional amendment comes into effect, the term of office of the current president should be counted from zero.
"It is proposed to lift the presidential limit or add an amendment to the amendment: After the new constitution comes into force, the current president, like other citizens, has the right to run for president of the country," Tereshkova said.
Putin responded by saying that removing the president's term limit from the constitution is not reasonable. In the long run, society should ensure that power change takes place, which is necessary for national development.
"I believe and firmly believe that strong presidential power is absolutely necessary for our country. However, the public should ensure that elections, including presidential elections, are open and competitive," Putin further said.
According to a report from Russia Today (RT) on the 10th, Putin has no objection to the possibility of running for president again in 2024. He believes that the change of power is crucial for Russia's dynamic development, but he also said that if the amendment is approved by the Constitutional Court, the former head of state should be able to run for the new presidential election under the updated constitution. Regarding this idea, Putin emphasized that in the upcoming referendum on April 22, "only citizens support such a proposal", such a proposal can become a reality.
Putin also said: "Given that the initiative to amend the Constitution came from me, I would like to express my position here. The amendment to the Constitution is already mature and I am convinced that the amendment will be useful to our citizens and it will strengthen our sovereignty, our traditions and Our values. "He said he hopes to work with the State Duma's parliamentarians to work for the country until 2024," at that time, we will see how things develop. "
According to Russian media reports, if the second reading goes well, the Russian State Duma will read the draft amendment to the constitution three times on March 11, 10 am Moscow time. It is then passed by the Federal Council and then passed by two-thirds of the main legislative assembly of the Russian Federation (local parliament). The specific terms are reviewed by the Constitutional Court and finally submitted to a referendum.
The referendum is scheduled to be held on April 22. If more than half of the citizens participating in the voting support the amendment, the constitutional amendment will take effect on the date of the announcement of the voting results.
When Putin delivered his State of the Union address to the two houses of the Russian parliament on January 15, Putin proposed to amend the constitution and form a constitutional amendment working group on the same day. On January 20, Putin submitted a draft constitutional amendment to the Russian State Duma. On March 2, Putin submitted a second reading of the constitutional amendment to the State Duma. (Surging news reporter Liu Hui)