When Vladimir Putin became President in 2018 for the fourth time, Russians steeled themselves for a long six years of Brezhnev-style sclerosis, knowing that no real political revival could take place until this last term was up. Under the Russian constitution, Putin could not legally assume the presidency in 2024—at least not without rewriting existing laws. Thus, when on January 15 Putin ordered his cabinet to resign and announced that the Russian constitution had become outdated and needed to be amended, analysts jumped to the conclusion that Putin had decided on the “Kazakhstan model” for staying in power.Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan …read more
Source:: The American Interest
