Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the presidential term law.

The document was published on the official Internet portal of legal information.

He brings the legislation on elections and referendums in line with the amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

The law, among other things, gives the current head of state the right to re-apply for two presidential terms. 

According to Russian law, one person cannot hold the post of head of state more than two times.

However, according to one of the adopted amendments to the main law of the country, this restriction does not apply to those who held the office of head of state before the amendments to the Constitution came into force.

In addition, the law stipulates that a citizen of the Russian Federation at least 35 years old, permanently residing in the country for at least 25 years, who does not have and did not have foreign citizenship or a residence permit in the past, can be elected as the President of the Russian Federation, except in cases where candidates were citizens of a foreign state admitted to the Russian Federation (in whole or in part).

The law also establishes new requirements for State Duma deputies and the head of the CEC.

Recall that Vladimir Putin made a proposal to adopt a number of amendments to the Constitution, including on the requirements for presidential candidates, in January 2020 during his annual address to the Federal Assembly.

Later, United Russia deputy Valentina Tereshkova proposed amendments to the country's basic law, abolishing restrictions on the number of presidential terms, or adopting an amendment that would allow the current head of state, after the entry into force of the new version of the Constitution, to participate in elections for this post.

The Russian leader himself then stressed that such a decision would be possible only if the initiative was supported by citizens.

The all-Russian vote was held from June 25 to July 1, 2020; 77.92% of Russians supported the amendments to the basic law.

The amendments to the Russian Constitution entered into force on 4 July.

Punishment for insulting veterans

The head of state also signed a law that toughens punishment for the rehabilitation of Nazism online and disrespect for veterans.

Thus, an amendment was made to the Criminal Code, according to which public denial of the facts established by the verdict of the Nuremberg Tribunal, dissemination of false information about the activities of the USSR during the Second World War, as well as about veterans of the Great Patriotic War, will be punished with a fine of up to three million rubles or the amount of the convicted person's income over the past three years, or imprisonment for up to three years.

The same acts committed with the use of official position, or by a group of persons, or using the media and the Internet, as well as with the artificial creation of evidence of the charge, imply a fine from 2 million to 5 million rubles or imprisonment up to five years.

Also, the law establishes responsibility for a public disrespectful attitude towards the days of military glory and memorable dates of Russia associated with the defense of the country, insulting the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland, as well as humiliating the honor and dignity of a veteran of the Great Patriotic War.

Such actions will entail a fine of up to three million rubles or in the amount of the convicted person's income over the past three years, or compulsory labor for up to 360 hours, correctional labor for up to a year, or forced labor for up to three years, or imprisonment for the same period.

It also provides for the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions for up to three years.

At the end of February, a group of deputies from United Russia headed by Irina Yarovaya made a proposal to toughen the responsibility for insulting veterans. 

“Insulting all those who died defending the Motherland, mocking the dignity and merits of people whose sacrificial and selfless feat gave life to future generations is a crime,” Yarovaya noted then.

The measure was proposed after the court on February 20 found Alexei Navalny guilty in the case of libel against the veteran of the Great Patriotic War Ignat Artyomenko.

He received 2.5 years in prison and a fine of 850 thousand rubles.

  • RIA News

  • © Press Service of the Babushkinsky Court of Moscow

Recall that at the beginning of June 2020, an RT video was published on voting on amendments to the Constitution.

Actors and public figures who read the preambles of the Basic Law of the Russian Federation, as well as a veteran of the Great Patriotic War Ignat Artyomenko, took part in his filming.

After a while, Navalny published a video in which he insulted the participants in the video, in particular, calling them "lackeys and traitors."

After that, they filed a lawsuit against him, accused of libel.

During one of the court sessions, a linguist invited by the prosecution confirmed that Navalny's words contained an insult. 

Garage amnesty, drug lawsuits and sports tax deduction 

On April 5, Vladimir Putin also signed a number of laws regulating the socio-political aspects of the country's life.

For example, the Russian leader signed a “garage amnesty” law that simplifies the procedure for registering citizens' rights to garages and land plots on which they are located.

The document introduces a mechanism that allows citizens, with one application, to formalize the rights to land plots that are in state or municipal ownership, on which their garages are located.

In addition, Putin signed a law on a social tax deduction for personal income tax (PIT) for the rendered health and fitness services.

According to the document, it will be possible to receive a deduction not only for oneself, but also for minor children, including adopted ones.

A citizen can return 13% of the cost of sports activities for a maximum amount of 120 thousand rubles. 

  • RIA News

  • © Alexander Kryazhev

The head of state also signed a law that supplements the list of foreign sources of funding for the recognition of a non-profit organization (NPO) as a foreign agent.

In particular, the list includes Russian legal entities whose owners are, as a result, foreigners or stateless persons.

Also, the president signed a law to toughen the procedure for initiating drug trafficking cases.

According to the document, the fact that a person is in a state of drug intoxication cannot serve as a basis for initiating criminal proceedings on the production or sale of drugs.

Also, a case under these articles cannot be opened on the basis of the discovery of narcotic or psychotropic drugs in the human body in the absence of "sufficient data indicating the fact of their transfer."